Pampanga lawmaker's poll protest junked

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) has dismissed an election protest filed against Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. by his opponent.

The tribunal threw out the case filed by losing candidate Jose Quiwa III more than a year after it was filed, saying he failed to shoulder the costs involved in the protest.

It noted that at the start of its hearings, the defeated candidate had difficulty coming up with the initial deposit of P130,000 and was unable to produce the amounts the tribunal subsequently required.

The funds were to be used in the hiring of personnel who would count the contested ballots. Election law requires the one protesting to shoulder the cost involved.

In dismissing Quiwa’s complaint, the HRET also noted the huge discrepancy between his votes and those of Gonzales, who won his second term as representative of Pampanga’s third district by a landslide.

Gonzales received 195,651 votes against Quiwa’s 24,640 votes.