Abra town mayor’s victory in 2019 polls upheld

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld  the victory in the 2019 elections of a municipal mayor in Abra, whose certificate of candidacy (COC) was canceled by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The high tribunal said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion when it canceled the COC of Mayor Rovelyn Villamor of Lagangilang town based on her citizenship.

It said Villamor was able to reacquire her Filipino citizenship, which made her eligible to run for mayor.

In a two-page statement released recently, the SC said it dismissed the electoral protest filed by Villamor’s political opponent, Antonio Viernes, and annulled a Comelec resolution favoring the petitioner.

Viernes earlier asked the Comelec to cancel  Villamor’s COC, citing her being an American citizen.

In her reply, Villamor said that before she filed her COC, she had complied with the requirement for the reacquisition of her Filipino citizenship as provided under Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003.

The high court said Villamor showed sufficient proof to support her claims.

Villamor won with 5,879 votes while Viernes got 1,534 votes.