Negros Oriental Gov. Pryde Henry Teves. (File photo)
MANILA – Negros Oriental Gov. Pryde Henry Teves has sought a “provisional injunctive relief” from the Supreme Court (SC) over the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc unseating him, his lawyer said Monday.
“We have filed a petition with the SC seeking for a TRO (temporary restraining order) stopping the Comelec from implementing its resolution declaring (Roel) Degamo as the duly-elected governor of Negros Oriental. The sooner the TRO is issued, the better,” Sarah Manalo, legal counsel for Teves, said at a press conference.
Teves was a former congressman of Negros Oriental when he ran for governor of Negros Oriental on May 14, 2022. He got 301,000 majority votes and was thereafter proclaimed as the duly elected governor, unseating reelectionist and former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
On Sept. 30, 2022, however, the Comelec en banc declared a third candidate, a certain Grego Ruel Degamo, as a “nuisance” candidate and automatically credited the 49,953 votes he garnered to former Gov. Degamo, bringing the latter's total votes from 281,774 to 331,727 and making him the province's duly elected governor.
The nuisance case was filed by the former governor.
“Teves was never a party [to[ the case of the ‘nuisance’ candidate before the Comelec en banc issued its resolution on Sept. 30, 2022. He (Teves) was never accorded due process, at the very least,” Manalo said.
She said Chairman George Garcia was already appointed Comelec chief when the “nuisance” case was decided upon, noting that “there were only five Comelec commissioners when the case was decided upon, two of whom, did not participate.”
She also cited that “there is a disqualification case before the Comelec en banc for violation of the three-term rule against Degamo which we also raised with the SC.”
Degamo has been elected governor for three consecutive terms from 2013 to 2022. (PNA)
