Lipa poll protest case hangs as elections near

MANILA, Philippines — With only two months left before the May 9 general elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to rule on a poll protest filed against Mayor Eric Africa of Lipa, Batangas.

Bernadette Sabili, who lost to Africa during the 2019 elections, filed the case in January 2020.

Sabili asked the Comelec to declare her as the rightful winner in the 2019 mayoralty race.

She asked the poll body to grant her instant election protest and reject or invalidate the questioned ballots favoring Africa.

Sabili also asked the Comelec to annul the election results in 23 clustered precincts.

Africa was proclaimed mayor of Lipa City for having garnered 78,109 votes as against Sabili’s 76,511 or a margin of 1,598 votes.

Sabili filed a protest, claiming election fraud.

After the canvassing of the electronically transmitted election results in protested precincts, the Comelec found out that Sabili won with 69,758 votes as against Africa’s 69,611 or a margin of 147 votes.

When Sabili filed the case, her lawyer was George Garcia, who was recently named Comelec commissioner.

Garcia earlier announced that he was inhibiting himself from all election cases that he previously handled.