SC stops proclamation of new Cam Norte governor

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to restrain itself from declaring a protesting candidate in Camarines Norte as the new governor of the province. The Court thus granted the request of Camarines Norte Gov. Jesus Typoco to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the execution of a Comelec resolution declaring his poll rival, Edgardo Tallado, as governor. "A temporary restraining order is hereby issued, effective immediately… directing respondents to cease and desist from implementing April 30, 2008, resolution of the Comelec 1st Division," the order reads. Typoco won over Tallado by 2,700 during the May 2007 midterm elections, but the latter contested the results before the Comelec, which reexamined the statement of votes by precinct (SOVP) in Labo, the town where Tallado claimed he was cheated. On April 30, the Comelec’s First Division ruled that Tallado had in fact won the gubernatorial race by 65 votes. Typoco brought up the matter to the SC and said the Comelec based its decision on alleged manipulated documents. Aside from the Comelec and Tallado, also named as respondents in Typoco’s petition were the new provincial board of canvassers and the new municipal board of canvassers in Labo. Romulo Macalintal, an administration election lawyer counseling for Typoco, said the Comelec should be sanctioned for using the fake election records as their basis for favoring Tallado’s proclamation. Macalintal told GMANews.TV in an earlier interview that a municipal election officer from Labo had even testified in a sworn affidavit that the SOVP considered by the Comelec investigating team was fake. Respondents were required to submit a comment within 10 days from the receipt of the decision. The SC also ordered Typoco to post a P1-million bond within 10 days from the receipt of the notice, to avoid the automatic lifting of the TRO. The poll body’s April 30 decision has triggered Typoco’s camp to call for the resignation of Comelec Chairman Jose Melo, as well as the four poll commissioners who handled the election protest, namely Nicodemo Ferrer, Leonardo Leonida, Lucenito Tagle, and Armando Velasco. - with Carlo Lorenzo, GMANews.TV