Judgment day tomorrow on Lachica election protest
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
KALIBO, Aklan – Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Eustaquio Terencio of Branch 8 is set to promulgate judgment tomorrow on the electoral protest filed by defeated mayoral candidate William Lachica against incumbent Mayor Raymar Rebaldo.
Lachica alleged of massive vote buying and tampering of election returns, commission of errors and irregularities by the Board of Election Inspectors and Board of Canvassers, and bad appreciation of ballots during the May 2004 elections.
He also claimed improper adjudication of votes, errors and irregularities in the election such as marked ballots and fraud in the preparation of ballots and in the counting of votes.
Rebaldo had urged the Supreme Court to urgently resolve the petition for certiorari whether a regional trial court here still has jurisdiction or legal authority to further act on Election Case No. 131.
The mayor, who ran under the ruling local party Tibyog Akean, garnered 14,101 votes against Lachica’s 14,020 -- or a margin of 81 votes.
Lachica, former vice mayor, waged a two-year court battle to determine the real winner of the May 10, 2004 election.
The mayor’s secretary Randy Rebaldo had expressed confidence his brother will emerge as the duly elected mayor once the presiding judge decides on the electoral protest.
“This could be a triumph of justice if a favorable decision is ruled by the judge. We are pursuing also this election protest for the truth to come out and to prove the election is clean and honest,” he added.
The revision committee headed by lawyer Rhea Vidal-Ibarreta showed Lachica garnered 4,326 against Rebaldo’s 3,774 in the contested 70 pooling precincts clustered into 50 precincts.
Meanwhile, Rebaldo’s camp claimed the uncontested 164 pooling precincts had the incumbent mayor with 10,324 votes compared to 9,688 of Lachica, or a total winning margin of 84 votes after the physical count.
Lachica alleged of massive vote buying and tampering of election returns, commission of errors and irregularities by the Board of Election Inspectors and Board of Canvassers, and bad appreciation of ballots during the May 2004 elections.
He also claimed improper adjudication of votes, errors and irregularities in the election such as marked ballots and fraud in the preparation of ballots and in the counting of votes.
Rebaldo had urged the Supreme Court to urgently resolve the petition for certiorari whether a regional trial court here still has jurisdiction or legal authority to further act on Election Case No. 131.
The mayor, who ran under the ruling local party Tibyog Akean, garnered 14,101 votes against Lachica’s 14,020 -- or a margin of 81 votes.
Lachica, former vice mayor, waged a two-year court battle to determine the real winner of the May 10, 2004 election.
The mayor’s secretary Randy Rebaldo had expressed confidence his brother will emerge as the duly elected mayor once the presiding judge decides on the electoral protest.
“This could be a triumph of justice if a favorable decision is ruled by the judge. We are pursuing also this election protest for the truth to come out and to prove the election is clean and honest,” he added.
The revision committee headed by lawyer Rhea Vidal-Ibarreta showed Lachica garnered 4,326 against Rebaldo’s 3,774 in the contested 70 pooling precincts clustered into 50 precincts.
Meanwhile, Rebaldo’s camp claimed the uncontested 164 pooling precincts had the incumbent mayor with 10,324 votes compared to 9,688 of Lachica, or a total winning margin of 84 votes after the physical count.
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