Disqualified bet Abraham Mitra leads Palawan gubernatorial race

Despite a disqualification case against him, Palawan second district Rep. Abraham Khalil Mitra is leading the five-way gubernatorial race in the province. GMA Network's partial and unofficial tally as of Tuesday noon showed that Mitra has so far received 112,795 votes. Trailing him is Jose Alvarez, who garnered 100,834 votes. The results are based on 82.91 per cent of election returns nationwide. (View Palawan election results here) Last February, the Comelec's first division disqualified Mitra from running for the local post due to residency issues. The poll body said Mitra failed to establish at least one year of residency in the province before the May 2010 polls, a violation of the Local Government Code. Mitra is a resident of Puerto Princesa, which ceased to be a component city of Palawan in 2007. In 2009, he requested for a transfer of his records from Puerto Princesa to Aborlan municipality in southern Palawan where the Mitra family has a farm, a farmhouse, and a cock farm. Mitra is the son of the late House Speaker Ramon Mitra, who grew up in Aborlan. But the Comelec first division said the younger Mitra could not prove that he resided in Aborlan. The poll body en banc sustained the ruling, and Mitra's camp has elevated the matter to the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, Comelec Law Department head Ferdinand Rafanan told GMANews.TV that if the poll body disqualifies Mitra with finality, then he may not be declared the winner even if he gets the most number of votes. "Kahit mas marami ang boto niya, hindi siya ipo-proclaim (Even if he has the most number of votes, he will not be proclaimed)," he said. But Mitra's lawyer, Sixto Brillantes, told GMANews.TV that despite the disqualification case, the votes cast for his client would be counted because of a Supreme Court ruling. "Just last Friday, the Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order, which means that he (Mitra) can retain his candidacy. The votes for him will be counted," Brillantes said in a phone interview. - SOPHIA DEDACE with KIMBERLY JANE TAN/YA, GMANews.TV