Friday, June 15, 2007 Court starts M. Oriental town's vote recount By Danilo V. Adorador III
A REGIONAL court received Thursday the ballot boxes and other election paraphernalia from Balingasag town in Misamis Oriental, where a defeated mayoral candidate has demanded a recount.
Defeated by only 295 votes, Kampi official bet Carousel Borromeo is demanding a recount, citing alleged irregularities in some of the election returns (ERs).
Regional Trial Court Branch 37 Presiding Judge Jose Escobido set the preliminary conference on Monday, where Borromeo's camp is expected to present evidence supporting a recount.
The two camps also agreed to post their own men at the Hall of Justice's vicinity to guard the ballots.
Judge Escobido said placing unarmed guards from both camps would ensure the integrity of the contested ballots while they are deposited inside the court's domains.
Meanwhile, mayor-elect Alex Quina said he is confident that his votes would increase once the ballots are recounted.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, he alleged that the canvassing board had committed multiple inadvertences in counting his votes.
Vice mayor-elect Felix Borromeo, Carousel's husband, voiced hopes that the recount would turn the tide in their favor.
Earlier, the Borromeos filed a petition to stop the proclamation of Quina, alleging that a massive cheating had occurred in the last elections.
"We have no doubt that there had been a massive cheating here. We are contesting the outcome of this election," said Borromeo in a press conference a day before the board of canvassers declared Quina as winner by the slimmest of margins last month.
A night before the proclamation, Borromeo's placard-holding supporters nearly clashed with Quina's as both camps swarmed the canvassing perimeters.
Courts handling election-related cases are mandated to resolve all election contests "within 30 days from the date it is submitted for decision, in no case beyond six months after its filing," according to a Supreme Court order. Judges, however, can ask for extension from the High Court.
"Failure to comply herewith shall be considered a serious offense and shall be ground for disciplinary action against the judge," the Supreme Court warns. (With reports from LJA)
