Manila, May 23 -- The Commission on Elections' (Comelec) Second Division has dismissed a petition seeking to disqualify Senator-elect Erwin Tulfo in the May 12 midterm elections.

In a 25-page decision, the Second Division junked the disqualification case filed by Toto Causing and Graft-Free Philippines Foundation Inc. (GFPFI) against Tulfo on several grounds.

The Comelec said the citizenship issue, which was among the reasons the petitioners cited for Tulfo's disqualification, should have been raised in a petition to cancel his certificate of candidacy.

"In this case, Petitioners improperly combined in a single pleading grounds that pertain separately and exclusively to a petition for disqualification and a petition to deny due course ...