Residents want mayoral bet in Negros Occidental disqualified

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Some residents of Salvador Benedicto here are asking the Commission on Elections to disqualify a mayoral candidate in their town.

In a 3-page petition, the complainants prayed that the certificate of candidacy of mayoralty bet Ramon Lacson Jr “be cancelled, annulled, or denied.”

They claimed that Lacson “made material misrepresentation in his Certificate of Candidacy because he stated therein that he has been a resident of the said Purok Ipil-ipil, Barangay Bunga, Salvador Benedicto for more than 5 years when in truth he is not, not even for a single day or week.”

The complainants – Vicente Berangberang, Bezalel Sumiller, Marino Olimpo, Elmo Amit, Nelson Ortiz, Vincent Bachoco and Rene Valiao – stressed that they have personal knowledge that Lacson is not a resident of the said barangay.

“Most of us have been residents of the same barangay or municipality for so many years and we have not seen him or have known that he slept there even for a single day,” they said.

Further, the complainants pointed out that Lacson “has not even started to construct a single post on his alleged residence/property, if at all, he has any. Worse, all the houses or structures standing or located in the said Purok Ipil-ipil, to our knowledge, stand on the North Negros Natural Park.”

There are no records at the municipal assessor that he owns a real estate property in the town, the complainants pointed out.

The petitioners pointed out that Lacson was a known businessman and a reputed multi-millionaire in Bacolod City, where he owns big properties and big corporations based in that city.

Further, they are confident that even if they resort to getting petitioner’s true address in his official dealings with the government agencies, like the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Camp Crame Fireams and License Division, Central Negros Electric Cooperative, the same records will only bolster their claim that petitioner’s residence is not in Salvador Benedicto, but in Bacolod City.

“That to our knowledge, respondent has the penchant of running for public office from one place to another. In fact, he also ran for mayor in Talisay City in May 2004 local elections against then Mayor Anthony Lizares but lost. Again, he ran in May 2007 local elections and also lost to Eric Saratan. In all these two occasions, his residence was in Bacolod City, where his present luxury house is located, although he made it appear that his residence was in Hacienda Jose Maria, Talisay City,” the complainants emphasized.

The complainants further emphasized that “the Omnibus Election Code, as amended, is clear that one year residence is a condition sine qua non before one can qualify as a candidate for mayor.”

The complainants claimed that narration of falsehood in Lacson’s COCs even “amounts to falsification of public documents, and a mockery of the electoral process.” – Rappler.com