Comelec order heats up Vizcaya gubernatorial race

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — The gubernatorial race got off to a premature start as a result of an order of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued last Thursday, which was interpreted differently by opposing camps.

In a phone interview, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, counsel of incumbent Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma, challenged the election lawyers of former board member Leonardo "Byron" Perez Jr., Cuaresma’s nearest opponent for the governorship in 2004, to produce any document from the Comelec that declared Perez as the duly elected governor of the province.

"They are only releasing misleading statements confusing the people. If Perez really won, why is his camp asking for a clarificatory session on Jan. 19?" Macalintal said.

The other day, in an interview over the radio station dwRV-Radio Veritas here, Macalintal said that according to the latest ruling, the Comelec upheld the election of Cuaresma as the duly elected governor and in turn overturned an earlier division ruling ordering her to give up her seat to Perez, son of former senator and Comelec chairman Leonardo Perez.

Macalintal’s statement came in the wake of yesterday’s news report came out yesterday in another daily wherein Perez’s counsel, lawyer Francisco Sibayan claimed that because the Comelec failed to obtain a majority vote of four to reverse its division ruling, Cuaresma failed in her bid to reverse the Comelec’s resolution unseating her.

The provincial election board proclaimed Cuaresma as the duly elected governor in 2004 after she garnered 2,000 votes more than Perez in a three-corner contest, which include noted lawyer Ernesto Salunat of Lakas-CMD.

But the Comelec conducted a revision of votes as a result of a poll protest by Perez. It was found out that Cuaresma lost to Perez by 638 votes.

In his election protest, Perez alleged that Cuaresma’s camp committed massive cheating in her hometown of Bambang and several other towns. But in a counter protest, Cuaresma said it was she who was the victim of poll cheating.