By Alvin Murcia and Gabriela Baron

A winning vice mayoral candidate in Isabela province has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to block the ruling of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) suspending his proclamation, alleging that the poll body committed “grave abuse of discretion” in its decision.

The petition for certiorari and prohibition with an urgent plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) was filed by lawyer-accountant Jeryll Harold Paz Respicio, who won the vice mayoral race in the town of Reina Mercedes.

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

The SC was asked by the winning vice mayor to declare the Comelec directive null and void, and to compel the poll body to proceed with his proclamation.

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

The poll body, however, suspended Respicio’s proclamation due to a pending disqualification case filed by the commission itself on 28 February.

The complaint cited videos allegedly posted by Respicio on Facebook, where he claimed he could manipulate vote results through a “backroom program.”

The Comelec accused Respicio of violating Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to 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 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.