SC STOPS POLL BODY’S DQ ON LA UNION MAYOR

AGOO, LA UNION – The Supreme Court on Tuesday mid-afternoon stopped the Commission on Elections from executing its disqualification ruling against proclaimed Agoo town mayor Frank Sibuma.
Immediately turning the mood at the Agoo town hall with days and nights of worry into jubilation from their partial victory, some 500 Sibuma supporters who held their ground here since June 29 when a Writ of Execution was handed down by the Comelec ordering the Agoo town board of canvassers to reconvene and proclaim losing candidate Stefani Eriguel-Calongcagon today (Tuesday), almost broke into tears of joy hearing that a stay order was handed down favoring Sibuma’s stay in his post.
This although Calongcagon was proclaimed by the Comelec in Intramuros, Manila Tuesday afternoon while the poll bosy had not formally received the TRO by the SC.
“Let her be Mayor for several hours,” a magnanimous Sibuma said, while beaming confidence on the SC TRO cutting Calongcagon’s short stay in the contested Mayoral post.
Sibuma garnered 21,364 in the May polls against a mere over 15,000 votes of Calongcagon.
“They cannot accept defeat but the people of Agoo had long dreamt of change,” Sibuma stressed as he recounted that Calongcagon’s camp orchestrated a disqualification petition questioning his residency.
Agoo resident Rommel Libatique, 42, from San Marcos barangay here said in Filipino that ‘the result of the elections is clear and it must be upheld and respected’.
Sibuma’s brother Benjamin, proclaimed town mayor of Aringay, also in La Union insisted, they were all born in Agoo but only moved to Aringay because of their mother’s trade.
Frank though had re-established residence in Agoo a year and a half before the May polls, only that he was not given a certificate of residency by the barangay chairman because the latter is a close kin of Calongcagon.
The Comelec though had told Sibuma when he filed his candidacy last November 2021, he said, that a certificate of residency is not a requirement for his candidacy.
‘It’s clear that they cannot leave their hold on to power,’ Sibuma said, adding, “while the people who are dreaming of inclusive development are left behind.”
Calongcagon is the daughter of former Second District lawmaker Sandra Eriguel, who also lost from a wide margin in the May polls to Rep. Dante Garcia, an ally of the Sibumas.
Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN

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