G.R. No. 137534 - Aquino vs. Quezon City

Rosalinda A. Penera filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for Mayor of Sta. Monica, Surigao del Norte on 29 March 2007.
On the same day, Penera and her supporters conducted a motorcade featuring balloons, music, and public announcements preceding the official campaign period.

Edgar T. Andanar filed a petition for disqualification on 2 April 2007 before the COMELEC Regional Office, alleging premature campaigning in violation of Section 80 of the Omnibus Election Code.
The COMELEC Second Division issued a resolution dated 24 July 2007 disqualifying Penera; the COMELEC En Banc denied her motion for reconsideration on 30 January 2008.
The Supreme Court, in a Decision dated 11 September 2009, affirmed the COMELEC resolutions, disqualifying Penera and declaring her Vice-Mayor successor as mayor.
Penera filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Supreme Court; on 25 November 2009, the Court, by a new majority led by Justice Carpio, granted the motion, set aside its earlier Decision and the COMELEC orders, and reinstated Penera as mayor.

Was Penera already a “candidate” for purposes of Section 80 of the Omnibus Election Code at the time of the March 29 motorcade?
Does Section 80’s prohibition on election campaign activities apply only to candidates or to “any person” engaging in such activities before the campaign period?

Does the amendment mean that a person who files a COC is considered a candidate only at the start of the campaign period?
How does this amendment affect the application of Section 80 and the binding precedent in Lanot v. COMELEC?