THE Supreme Court (SC) en banc denied the motion for reconsideration on the electoral protest filed by former Bacolod City mayor Monico Puentevella against his successor, Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said Wednesday they received a notice from SC en banc on February 15 signed by Clerk of Court Felipa Anama.
The resolution, dated January 10, 2018, stated that the high court resolved to deny with finality the motion for reconsideration, there being no compelling reason to warrant the reversal of the questioned resolution.
The court stressed that no further pleadings or motions will be entertained and let entry of judgment be made immediately.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc had earlier denied the manifestation of a motion to lift entry of judgment and certificate of finality filed by Puentevella.
It upheld the decision of the Commission's First Division on August 18, 2016, which dismissed the appeal of Puentevella for insufficiency in form and content in accordance with Section 9 in relation to Section 7, Rule 6 of Comelec Resolution No. 8804 or the Comelec Rules of Procedure on Disputes in an Automated Election System.
On May 10, 2016, Leonardia was proclaimed the winning candidate with 120,231 votes or a margin of 22,238 votes over Puentevella's 97,993 votes. Not satisfied with the result of the elections, Puentevella filed an electoral protest with the Commission on May 20, 2016.
Bayatan said the two election protests against Leonardia had finally come to rest, adding that this confirmed the mandate of the mayor.