MANILA - 1-Abilidad Party and the People's Freedom Party filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday that seeks the nullification of a Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution extending the deadline for the filing of the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) for the recent elections.

The petition accused the poll body of grave abuse of discretion, and urged the immediate issuance of a status quo ante order (SQAO) which would restore the condition prior to the extension, meaning, setting the deadline for SOCE filing last June 8.

The case stems from the Comelec's grant, via 4-3 vote, of the request of the Liberal Party and its presidential candidate, Mar Roxas, despite the recommendation of the Comelec's Campaign Finance Office (CFO) to deny the request.

TINGNAN: Mga kandidatong hindi nakapaghain ng SOCE sa @COMELEC #Halalan2016 pic.twitter.com/PC9z3a22Xd | via @zhandercayabyab

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) June 16, 2016

LP's SOCE extension plea gets Comelec nod

"Undeniably, the [Comelec] usurped the power of Congress when it extended the SOCE filing deadline prescribed by Section 14 of Republic Act 7166 (Synchronized National and Local Elections Law)," the petition read.

The provision states that "[e]very candidate and treasurer of the political party shall, within thirty days after the day of the election, file in duplicate with the offices of the [Comelec] the full, true and itemized statement of contributions and expenditures in connection with the election."

Petitioners alleged that there is "no substantive justification" for the Comelec to disregard the law and that the extension was intended "to accommodate the request of [LP and Roxas]."