Comelec asked to annul proclamation of Lucena mayor

Around 50 residents of Lucena City in Quezon province trooped to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Manila on Tuesday to formally ask for the annulment of the proclamation of their mayor they claimed to have voted by mistake. In an interview with GMANews.TV, the group's leader Arnel Avila said the people of Lucena were fooled into thinking that they were voting for incumbent Mayor Ramon Talaga Jr. and not his wife Ruby.

Ramon Talaga (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) supposedly won by garnering 44,099 votes, defeating Philip Castillo (Liberal Party) with 39,615; Simon Aldovino (Lapiang Manggagawa) with 2,375; and independent candidates Edna Seralde with 99 and Romeo Amposta with 74. However, Avila said the people of Lucena were not informed that Talaga was disqualified last May 5 for exceeding the term limit for the position of mayor. He also said they didn’t know Talaga’s wife had replaced him. With the votes garnered in his husband’s name, Ruby was proclaimed mayor of Lucena on May 13. Omnibus Election Code Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code allows for a substitute candidate in case an official candidate “dies, withdraws, or is disqualified for any cause" even until mid-day of election day. Avila said supporting Talaga last May 10 didn’t mean they were also supporting his wife. “Papayag ba tayo na ibinoto natin ay si Juan pero ang nanalo pala at manunungkulan ay si Maria (Is it right that we voted for Juan but the one who was actually running was Maria)?" he said. He also chided the Comelec for allowing Talaga to run only to disqualify him later on, saying the poll body should’ve checked Talaga’s record as a mayor first. “If somebody looks at this case, this is a landmark case," Avila said. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told GMANews.TV that the poll body does not monitor the length of the terms served by reelectionists. He also said the complainants should have informed them about Talaga’s case. The Comelec was set to to hear the petition of the residents of Lucena on Tuesday afternoon. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV