Defrocked, disqualified priest is new Benguet town mayor

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — He may have been virtually defrocked and disqualified, but this did not prevent Fr. Nardo Cayat from getting elected mayor of the highland Buguias town in Benguet.

Cayat, who was placed on probation after pleading guilty to a sexual harassment case and was disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), got 8,164 votes against his rival, incumbent Mayor Thomas Palileng, who garnered only 5,292 votes.

Cayat, who is appealing his disqualification, was proclaimed by the Comelec four days ago in Buguias.

Cayat was sentenced in 2003 to four months in jail by the late judge Benjamin Buena of the Baguio municipal trial court after he pleaded guilty to a sexual harassment case filed by a woman from a prominent family in Benguet.

He filed for probation right after his conviction by the court. But while on probation, the priest filed his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for mayor of Buguias.

Comelec regional director Armando Velasco also confirmed Cayat is one of eight local bets in the region who faced disqualification cases filed by their political opponents.

A week before the May 10 polls, Cayat was disqualified but he filed a motion for reconsideration. The Comelec central office did not act on the motion, and also did not specifically order the scrapping of his name from the list of candidates.

Comelec officials here said they had to maintain the status quo and still proclaim Cayat winner while the Comelec office central has yet to issue a final, executory order.

Lawyer Bernoulli Binay-an, Benguet election supervisor, explained that when the Comelec finally issues an order, Cayat will automatically be unseated.

Meanwhile, women’s rights advocate group Innabuyog-Gabriela secretary-general Vernie Yocogan-Diano chided the Comelec for proclaiming Cayat. "He is a convict not worthy of office," she said.

Diano added that Comelec should have clear guidelines on criminals and be more decisive in terms of action.

"The Comelec inaction," she claimed, "denies Cayat’s victim of justice and is a precedent for victims of similar cases."

Earlier, Innabuyog-Gabriela called the vicarage where Cayat is stationed to impose a separate penalty against him, saying the Roman Catholic church will have more dignity and honor if it punishes erring priests.

Before the sexual harassment rap, Diano alleged that the embattled priest also had previous records of drunkenness and had an illicit affair.