HRET affirms Raul Daza’s win in 2016 polls

The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) has affirmed the victory of outgoing Northern Samar 1st District Representative Raul Daza in the 2016 elections.

In a unanimous decision promulgated on May 23, the tribunal dismissed the electoral protest of Daza's opponent, former congressman Harlin Abayon, over the results of the elections in their legislative district held three years ago.

The HRET affirmed Daza's victory by 47 votes, after getting 80,157 votes over Abayon, who garnered 80,110 votes.

The tribunal, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Diosdado Peralta, decided on the case through physical revision and counting of ballots cast in 58 clustered precincts that Abayon protested and 47 clustered precincts that Daza counter-protested.

It also evaluated the voters' shadings of the pre-printed circles in the official ballots for the two candidates.

The tribunal earlier denied Abayon's argument to annul the electoral results in 13 clustered precincts as part of his protest for lack of basis.

Daza thanked the HRET for deciding on the case before he officially leaves his congressional office on June 30.

“I’m glad that the shadow cast by the protest over my 2016 victory has finally vanished,” he said.

The veteran lawmaker chose not to run for reelection in the recently-concluded midterm polls after serving for about 22 years in seven Congresses since 1969.

As of the 17th Congress, Daza is the only congressman who served as lawmaker before Martial Law was declared in 1972. — RSJ, GMA News