Slain ex-mayor wins Candelaria poll protest
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Delfin Mallari Jr.LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines—The Regional Trial Court here on Friday declared slain former Candelaria Mayor David Emralino as winner in his electoral protest against incumbent municipal Mayor Ferdinand Maliwanag.
Judge Bienvenido Mapaye, of RTC Branch 55, declared Emralino to be the duly elected municipal mayor of Candelaria with total votes of 16,681 as against Maliwanag’s 15,853, or a winning margin of 828 votes.
Records from Candelaria election officials said Maliwanag defeated Emralino in the 2007 elections with 20,039 votes against Emralino’s 16,490 votes, or a margin of 3,549 votes.
After the elections, Emralino filed a protest on grounds of massive fraud.
In his decision, Mapaye said 1,619 ballots for Maliwanag were found to be written by one person; 1,073 ballots were fake or spurious; 398 ballots were written by two persons; and 686 found to be marked.
Emralino was no longer around to enjoy his victory as he was gunned down while standing inside the Catholic church compound in Candelaria last July 26.
His two bodyguards were also shot at but they survived the attack.
Emralino’s supporters all pointed their fingers at the political opposition as the alleged mastermind of the killing.
“The court decision is a cause for celebration and at the same time sadness because he is no longer around to enjoy his victory,” said Emralino’s son Al.
“But our family and the people of Candelaria dedicate this day to him.”
The Philippine Daily Inquirer called the mobile phone of Maliwanag several times to get his reaction to the court ruling but there was no answer.
Mapaye said after the two-year-old case was transferred to his court last January, he immediately conducted a series of hearings to decide the case.
The judge also turned down Maliwanag’s motion to dismiss the protest due to the death of Emralino.
According to some lawyers privy to the case, Emralino’s counsel would immediately file a motion for execution.
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TALLIES
| Escudero, Francis Joseph (GO) | 1,530,337 |
|---|---|
| Legarda, Loren (GO) | 1,445,355 |
| Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (GO) | 1,427,372 |
| Lacson, Panfilo (GO) | 1,315,961 |
| Pangilinan, Francis (IND) | 1,270,851 |
| Villar, Manuel Jr (GO) | 1,267,929 |
| Cayetano, Alan Peter (GO) | 1,097,065 |
| Arroyo, Joker (TU) | 1,046,152 |
| Angara, Edgardo (TU) | 999,396 |
| Trillanes, Antonio IV (GO) | 980,643 |
| Recto, Ralph (TU) | 971,250 |
| Zubiri, Juan Miguel (TU) | 957,930 |
| Legarda, Loren (GO) | 14,161,803 |
|---|---|
| Escudero, Francis Joseph (GO) | 13,919,444 |
| Lacson, Panfilo (GO) | 12,027,067 |
| Villar, Manuel Jr (GO) | 11,674,064 |
| Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (GO) | 11,107,999 |
| Pangilinan, Francis (IND) | 11,092,665 |
| Angara, Edgardo (TU) | 9,689,358 |
| Cayetano, Alan Peter (GO) | 9,030,748 |
| Honasan, Gregorio (IND) | 9,013,231 |
| Arroyo, Joker (TU) | 8,977,075 |
| Trillanes, Antonio IV (GO) | 8,710,648 |
| Pimentel, Aquilino III (GO) | 8,449,279 |
| Legarda, Loren (GO) | 18,352,290 |
|---|---|
| Escudero, Francis Joseph (GO) | 18,095,757 |
| Lacson, Panfilo (GO) | 15,442,480 |
| Villar, Manuel Jr (GO) | 15,192,880 |
| Pangilinan, Francis (IND) | 14,415,704 |
| Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (GO) | 14,234,979 |
| Angara, Edgardo (TU) | 12,404,138 |
| Cayetano, Allan Peter (GO) | 11,736,410 |
| Arroyo, Joker (TU) | 11,550,655 |
| Honasan, Gregorio (IND) | 11,487,784 |
| Trillanes, Antonio IV (GO) | 11,138,067 |
| Pimentel, Aquilino III (GO) | 10,865,397 |
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