BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to postpone the hearing for the election protest that defeated mayoral candidate Monico Puentevella filed against him. Leonardia asked to reschedule the hearing at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) central office in Manila from July 27 to Sept. 28. He received the notice only on July 22, City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said. They filed the motion seeking the postponement on July 25. More time was needed to prepare the “voluminous” documents needed, including election returns, certificate of candidacy and vote counting machine (VCM) audit logs, according to Bayatan. Puentevella and his running mate, the defeated vice mayoral candidate Vladimir Gonzalez, filed election protests before the Comelec’s Electoral Contest Adjudication Department. They sought a manual recount of the ballots cast during the May 9 elections here. Puentevella lost to Leonardia, while Gonzalez lost to now Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran. Puentevella got 97,993 votes, while Leonardia got 120,231 votes. Gonzalez had 86,611 votes, while Familiaran garnered 108,360 votes. City Election Officer Mavil Majarucon–Sia earlier said Comelec has directed her to submit documents from the 198 clustered precincts in 45 barangays here which will be needed for the hearing. Puentevella wanted the Board of Canvassers to facilitate the manual recount and the city treasurer to secure the ballot boxes, VCMs, and other paraphernalia and records until ordered otherwise by Comelec, Bayatan said. “In the event the manually recounted or audited votes … show that … Puentevella is the rightful winner … Comelec shall annul and withdraw the proclamation of … Leonardia … and proclaim Puentevella as the duly elected mayor,” the former mayor said in his protest. Leonardia, in his counter-affidavit, said the protest was “bereft of any initiatory proof of facts about the alleged fraud or irregularities.” He claimed Puentevella was also “guilty of forum-shopping inasmuch as there is a similar pending case [for] recount filed before Regional Trial Court Branch 42.” The case at the court was filed by Richard Calulut and several other Puentevella supporters against the city Board of Canvassers and City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhe. Leonardia also asked Comelec to dismiss the election protest for “lack of merit.”/PN Panay News BY MAE SINGUAY
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|