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TUDELA?S two-termer Mayor Rogelio Bacquerfo seeks to reclaim the town's top post by next Monday after receiving last Thursday's resolution from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) First Division that ruled in his favor.
In its resolution, the Comelec nullified a Danao Regional Trial Court (RTC) order declaring Bacquerfo's rival Demetrio Granada as winner of last year's mayoralty contest.
Granada assumed office last April 13.
However the Comelec said the court committed a grave abuse of discretion when it issued the order on January 9.
The RTC decision issued last Nov. 12, 2007 declared Granada as Tudela mayor, defeating Bacquerfo by a margin of 13 votes.
But the Comelec said the recount of votes gave credit only to Granada's contested ballots and excluded Bacquerfo's ballots.
Comelec presiding commissioner Rene Sarmiento said that if Bacquerfo filed his counter-protest on tme and his contested ballots were taken into consideration the court may have changed its decision.
Comelec said that if these factors were taken into consideration, Granada's victory may not have been clearly established.
It said it was unconvinced that Granada's remaining term of office and the length of time the case had been pending will outweigh any damage of a favorable ruling for Bacquerfo.
Bacquerfo said he was looking forward to assuming office next Monday.
He said among the first things he would do is to place eight of 10 department heads in ?floating status.?
He said Granada appointed supporters as department heads.
Bacquerfo said he filed a complaint of insubordination against them.
?They may stay in the office but they will no longer have a function because they violated the civil service law. You cannot mix jobs with politics.?
He also said Bacquerfo hired job order workers and issued checks amounting to P1 million for their salaries.
went to the office of Granada's lawyer Guiller Ceniza and tried to contact him by cell phone but he was unavailable in both occasions.
