3 weeks ago
6
REINA MERCEDES, Isabela — Although he won as vice mayor in this town, lawyer-accountant Jeryll Harold Respicio's proclamation was suspended by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on May 13 due to his pending disqualification case lodged by the constitutional commission.
Respicio won over his half-brother, Anthony "Bong" Respicio, with his 6,042 votes to 5,456 votes.
A third candidate, Boy Baua, got 2,006 votes.
In his posted public video, Respicio slammed the suspension of his proclamation despite his victory.
Respicio said the people of Reina Mercedes have spoken and the Comelec should not "remand" the "mandate" given by his townmates.
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On Feb. 28, the Commission on Elections filed the complaint against Respicio over videos he reportedly posted on Facebook claiming his ability to manipulate the upcoming elections through an alleged backroom program that can change election results.
The Comelec claimed Respicio violated Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
According to Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, cyberlibel is an "unlawful use of means of publication and unlawful utterances" and includes a provision against false news that can "endanger the public order."
The Comelec, however, said no discrepancy or mismatch has been reported and that the hash values shown in the video and the report posted on the Comelec website are the same and match accurately.
