Barring legal impediments, the mayoral contest in Caloocan City will be between incumbent Mayor Enrico "Recom" Echiverri and former congressman Luis "Baby" Asistio after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) threw out their separate petitions calling for each other's disqualification.

It will be recalled that the Asistio camp first filed a petition at the poll body calling for Echiverri's disqualification citing infirmities in the latter's certificate of candidacy.

After due hearing by the poll body's First Division, Asistio's petition was dismissed due to lack of merit.
With Asistio's petition dismissed, it was the turn of Echiverri to question the "residency" of Asistio and asked the Caloocan City Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) to delist Asistio's name from the voters' list.

Judge Arman Malabaguio of the Caloocan City MTC Branch 53 acted favorably and ordered the Comelec to delist Asistio from the voters' list but Asistio appealed the decision with the Caloocan City regional trial court.

However, Judge Thelma Canlas Trinidad-Pe Aquirre of RTC Branch 129 dismissed the appeal on technicality, saying that Asistio failed to file the appeal and pay the docket fee on time as required by law.
Armed with favorable decisions from the two courts, Echiverri asked the Comelec to disqualify Asistio from running citing his residency and past record.

Last week, the Comelec First Division dismissed for lack of merit the petition filed by Echiverri seeking to disqualify Asistio saying that the latter is eligible to run for the city’s highest post.