City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria has laughed off rumors being peddled by his critics that he will be replaced as City Mayor in October.
This is reportedly an offshoot of the election protest filed by defeated Mayoralty candidate Woodrow Maquiling, who lost to Sagarbarria by only 51 votes.
Sagarbarria said they had their first hearing in Manila, but this hearing was only limited to the motions for dismissal of the protest.
Such misinformation, Sagarbarria said, is normal after a hotly-contested election, where the loser or his campaigner tries to lift the sagging spirits of his supporters.
“Resolutions of motions for its dismissal, appeals, and reconsiderations will take time before reaching the Supreme Court, while the main protest will also take another long time to get resolved,” Sagarbarria said.
Sagarbarria cited election protest cases filed by losing candidates in previous elections which took either remain unresolved or took several years to be resolved.
In 1988, Herminio Teves filed a protest against Gov. Emilio Macias II. Macias served for three terms and completed another three terms as congressman and went back to being governor until his death last June. The case remains unresolved.
Former Mayor Lorenzo Maxino also protested the victory of Mayor Agustin Perdices in 1988. Perdices went on to serve for three terms two times and is now the Governor of Negros Oriental.
Sagarbarria was told that his detractors are saying they are confident of winning the protest because President Benigno Aquino III is on their side.
“I don’t believe President Noynoy Aquino would allow a short cut or allow his followers and supporters to ruin his credibility and integrity as President for everybody and not for a certain sector of the society. (PNA/JG)
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