Isabela recount set on June 11

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Lawyer Jomax Ortiz, legal counsel of Mayor Joselito Malabor of Isabela, Negros Occidental said on June 7, 2019 that the recount of  ballots in more than 160 precincts will start on June 11, 2019.

“The ballot boxes from the said precincts were transported to the Regional Trial Court in La Carlota morning of June 7, 2019 City and were escorted by the police and will also be tightly guarded,” Ortiz said.

Malabor filed a petition for recount as he wanted to clear allegations of “double transmissions” of votes from the vote counting machines.

The result of the May 13, 2019 mayoralty elections showed that Malabor got 13,844 votes while his opponent Dr. Irene Montilla garnered 13,892 votes.

Malabor filed the recount petition with the RTC in La Carlota City last May 23, 2019 and was raffled to the sala of Judge Mila D. Yap-Camiso.

In her order issued on June 6, Camiso scheduled the preliminary conference on June 11, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.

She said that the parties and their duly recognized counsels are required to be present during the preliminary conference and to submit and serve to the adverse party at least one day before the preliminary conference their respective briefs.

The briefs must contain, among others, a summary of admitted facts and proposed stipulations as well as the issues to be tried or resolved (i.e. for election protests, the alleged fraud or irregularities committed in the conduct of the election.)