New Paracelis mayor takes oath

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The duly elected mayor of Paracelis town in Mountain Province, Marcos Ayangwa, took his oath on Friday, ending the political impasse in the town.

In a ruling dated Nov. 10 and released on Friday, the Commission on Elections en banc affirmed the ruling of the Comelec second division, which canceled the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Avelino Amangyen.

Amangyen garnered 9,220 votes compared to Ayangwa’s 5,185 votes.

The Comelec second division canceled Amangyen’s COC on April 19 after he did not declare that he was convicted of violating the Forestry Code.

Both the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court upheld Amangyen’s conviction.

The Paracelis municipal government said it received documents that showed Amangyen took his oath as mayor of Paracelis on June 30 in Barangay Tadiangan in Tuba, Benguet.

“Elections are like a contest governed by rules that determine qualifications and disqualifications of those who are allowed to participate as players,” the Comelec ruling read. ”When there are participants who turn out to be ineligible, their victory is voided and the laurel is awarded to the next in rank who does not possess any of the disqualifications nor lack any of the disqualifications set in the rules to be eligible as candidates.”