After two months after the May 2004 election, uncertainty still vacillating the minds of some of our fellow San Estebanians both here and abroad due to the election protest filed by the losing candidates for both mayor and vice mayor.
Losing vice mayoralty candidate former SBM Mildred Elaydo had filed election protest, in which, she claimed that there were election fraud such as misreading and mis- appreciation of some ballots from the ten precincts she questioned. She also disclosed that there are rampant vote buying and intimidations in the just concluded election. With this, Vice-Mayor Norman V. Mendoza countered the moves and filed his own protest to the other 13 remaining ballot boxes. To date, the 10 ballot boxes were already opened and deliberated by both lawyers and revisors from both parties. Other questionable ballots still remain at the court for them decide who to favor with. Momentary results in the case of misreading some ballots in the said ten precincts disclosed that, Mendoza accumulated additional 13 votes while Mildred had 2 votes. And with this the vice mayor vehemently dropped his protest for the 13 remaining ballot boxes because he is confident that there are no irregularities made by him or his running mate. Mendoza also said that he only filed that counter protest in case there will a discrepancy in favor to his opponent.
As for the mayoralty position Mayor Abad still far from reachable by his opponent because of substantial lead of 210 votes. Former mayor Chester Elaydo filed the protest against the incumbent mayor with same nature of election irregularities. Elaydo queried all the 23 precincts, in which he claimed that there were massive frauds committed by the administration candidates. At present, the court already unbolted 12 ballot boxes and so far no major changes in the appreciation ballots read by the Board of Election Inspectors during the last election. There might be some ballots set aside for queries as marked ballots but still it is up to the court to decide who to favor to.
In the meantime, the members of the Sangguniang Bayan presided by the re-elected vice mayor already convened to take up matters for the betterment of our municipality in the legislative body. Mayor Abad remains fulfilling his obligations and duties as the head of the executive body.
/:susan (S.A.E.)
