Cavite mayor told to vacate office

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) served on Monday the writ of execution to ousted Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi of Imus, Cavite, ordering him to vacate and relinquish the post to Homer Saquilayan.

Maliksi was also ordered by the poll body to cause the peaceful and smooth turn over of office to Saquilayan and make a return of action within five days upon receipt of the order dated March 15.

The order has already been sent to the Cavite provincial election supervisor and provincial officer of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for implementation.

Voting 8-7, the Supreme Court upheld last week a Comelec en banc ruling nullifying Maliksi's victory in the 2010 elections, declaring Saquilayan as the duly-elected mayor of the town.

Maliksi said he would appeal the SC decision.

Earlier, the poll body affirmed the ruling of the First Division that Saquilayan was the winner in after a recount of votes showed him ahead with 48,521 votes over Maliksi’s 40,092.

Saquilayan was actually proclaimed right after the 2010 polls but Imus Regional Trial Court Judge Cesar Mangrobang annulled the victory, prompting him to raise the issue to the High Court. (FP/Sunnex)