30 newly elected solons facing poll protests

Filipinos must indeed be poor losers.

Even before they can begin their term of office, 30 newly proclaimed congressmen are already facing election protests.

The cases have been filed with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, whose incoming members have yet to be chosen. Tribunal members will be chosen once the 12th Congress convenes late next month.

Most of those whose election is being questioned are newcomers. Some are returning solons or re-electionists.

The "returnees" include Juan "Jack" Ponce Enrile Jr. of Cagayan, Federico Sandoval III of Malabon-Navotas, Jesus Jurdin Romualdo of Camiguin, and Gerardo Espina of Biliran.

Victor Padilla filed the protest against Enrile. Rissa Oreta, a daughter of Sen. Tessie Aquino Oreta, is questioning the election of Sandoval. Homobono Erwin Adaza III is protesting the proclamation of Romualdo, while Ruben Almadro cannot believe Espina defeated him.

Almadro is former vice president of the Philippine Stock Exchange. He was in charge of the group that uncovered the BW stock manipulation fraud involving businessman Dante Tan and other friends of ousted President Joseph Estrada.

The scandal nearly brought down the local stock market and the Philippine economy.

Almadro was one of the prosecution’s star witnesses in Estrada’s Senate impeachment trial.

Another friend of the disgraced leader, businessman Mario Batacan Crespo, better known as Mark Jimenez, a newly proclaimed Manila congressman, is facing protest from incumbent Rosenda Ann Ocampo.

Jimenez defeated Ocampo’s father Pablo, a former congressman, by only a few thousand votes.

Sherwin Gatchalian, a son of Estrada friend William Gatchalian, is facing an election protest from a Valenzuela City voter. The young Gatchalian defeated Magtanggol Gunigundo Sr. in the second district of Valenzuela.

Another Gunigundo, Magtanggol I, won his second term in the first district. He defeated Antonio Serapio, the district’s former representative.

Cynthia Aguilar Villar, the wife of newly proclaimed Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., and Mario Teodoro Etong, better known as Ted Failon, are among the other newly elected solons whose proclamation is being questioned.

Antonio Tamayo filed the protest against Mrs. Villar, while incumbent Rep. Alfred Romualdez lodged the case against Failon.

The other members of the incoming House facing protest are Faustino Dy III of Isabela, Conrado Estrella III and Amado Espino Jr. of Pangasinan, Belma Cabilao of Zamboanga-Sibugay, Glenda Ecleo of Surigao del Norte, Emilio Macias III of Negros Oriental;

Aurelio Umali of Nueva Ecija, Jose Solis of Sorsogon, Filomena San Juan of Zamboanga del Sur, Fausto Seachon of Masbate, Manuel Mamba of Cagayan, Henry Lanot of Pasig City, Lorna Silverio of Bulacan, Apolinario Lozada of Negros Occidental;

Narciso Monfort of Iloilo, Celia Layus of Cagayan, Clavel Martinez of Cebu, Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque, Eleuterio Violago of Nueva Ecija, Abdulgani Salapuddin of Basilan, Antonio Cuenco of Cebu City, and Cari Carmen of Leyte.

Election protests take years to decide. During the three-year life of the outgoing Congress, only one House member was unseated.

Amelita Villarosa was removed as representative of the lone district of Occidental Mindoro and Ricardo Quintos was declared as the one who won in the 1998 elections. Quintos assumed office about six months before the term of the 11th Congress ends at 12 noon of June 30. That’s also when the term of the new set of lawmakers begins.

Last May 14, Quintos ran for governor against former Rep. Jose Villarosa, who is facing murder charges for the killing of two sons of Quintos in 1998. Quintos lost to the murder suspect.