Comelec defends Isabela vice mayor suspension

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday maintained its suspension of the proclamation of Isabela town’s vice mayor.

Lawyer-accountant Jeryll Harold Paz Respicio, who won the vice mayoral race in Reina Mercedes, Isabela, filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition with an urgent plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) or preliminary injunction.

In his petition, Respicio argued that the assailed May 12 suspension order was “arbitrary” and lacked any legal or constitutional basis.

Respicio asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare the Comelec directive null and void and to compel the poll body to proceed with his proclamation.

“The Filipino people have spoken through the ballot,” he said, claiming a decisive victory with 6,042 votes over his closest rival and half-brother, Anthony “Bong” Respicio, who garnered 5,456 votes.

However, the poll body suspended Respicio’s proclamation due to a pending disqualification case filed by Comelec.

The disqualification case stems from a complaint filed by Comelec on February 28. It cites videos allegedly posted by Respicio on Facebook in which he claimed he could manipulate the results of the upcoming elections through a supposed “backroom program” capable of altering vote counts.

Comelec accused Respicio of violating Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, concerning the Cybercrime Prevention Act, for allegedly publishing false information that could incite panic or disrupt public order.

In a message to reporters, Comelec Spokesperson Atty. Rex Laudiangco said Respicio’s recourse in seeking relief from the High Court “is an expected action on his part.”

“This is what Chairman Garcia has been saying all along: do everything within the metes and bounds of legal processes and procedures,” Laudiangco said.

“Comelec is ready to defend its actions at the SC with the concomitant commitment to abide by any and all orders to be issued by it,” he added.