The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday extended by one week the status quo ante order stopping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from enforcing its resolution on the gubernatorial row in Bulacan province.

The extension order came after the High Court failed to resolve the issue on the merits, according to Court Administrator and SC Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez.

Last week, the SC temporarily stopped the implementation of a Comelec resolution ordering Bulacan Gov. Joselito “Jon-jon” Mendoza to vacate his office in favor of his rival, former Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto “Obet” Pagdanganan.

The status quo ante order, which was effective until March 16, restored the prevailing condition prior to the filing of Mendoza’s petition questioning the Comelec resolution.

Since the order lapsed without the SC resolving the petition, it was again extended by another week or until March 23.

“They (SC justices) were not able to resolve the petition today because there are still opinions coming in. I’d like to think that there will already be a decision by next week,” Marquez said.

Mendoza sought a status quo ante order from the High Court to prevent bloodshed in the provincial capitol amid rising tension and stand-off between his supporters and that of Pagdanganan.

In his original petition filed last month, Mendoza asked the SC to nullify the February 8 resolution of Comelec en banc denying his appeal on an earlier decision declaring Pagdanganan as the rightful winner of the gubernatorial contest in Bulacan in 2007.

Mendoza was unseated after a recount showed that Pagdanganan received 342,295 votes compared to the 337,974 ballots cast in his favor, a margin of 4,321 votes.

In May 2007, the Provincial Board of Canvassers proclaimed Mendoza as the duly elected governor of Bulacan with 364,566 votes as against Pagdanganan’s 348,834 votes, or a margin of 15,732 votes.

The Comelec has annulled Mendoza’s proclamation and ordered him “to immediately vacate the position as governor of Bulacan, cease and desist from discharging the functions thereof and peacefully turnover the position to Pagdanganan.”

But Mendoza insisted in his petition that the evidence were manipulated while the protest was ongoing, thus the reversal of the count.