San Fernando mayor’s 2004 win upheld

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has issued a resolution affirming the victory of Mayor Oscar Rodriguez in the city’s 2004 mayoral race, ruling that he got more votes than former immigration commissioner Andrea Domingo.

Rodriguez’s office received excerpts of the resolution, said to be 400 pages long, from the Comelec last Wednesday.

The June 20 resolution of the poll body’s second division has been mailed, the mayor’s office said.

In their electoral protest, Domingo and her running mate, Eligio Lagman, alleged massive cheating in the local polls.

Rodriguez ran under the banner of the Lakas-NUCD party, while Domingo ran as an independent candidate. In its recount, the Comelec said Rodriguez garnered 27,304 votes as against Domingo’s 22,010.

Before he became city mayor, Rodriguez served as third district congressman for three terms. He was part of the prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada.

City Hall employees congratulated Rodriguez upon learning about the Comelec resolution, some of them issuing a statement citing him for his "excellent urban governance."

Last year, Rodriguez was selected as third runner-up in the World Mayor Search, while San Fernando was named as "most competitive mid-sized city." — Ding Cervantes