LMP-Bohol poll standoff Nat’l directorate to hear petition settling results

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — The national directorate of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) has alloted 20 days to hear the petition of LMP-Bohol chapter to uphold the results of the latter’s election of officers last Aug. 19, specifically on the presidential post that ended in a deadlock. 

The election for president of LMP-Bohol, between Bien Unido town Mayor Niño Rey Boniel and Inabanga town Mayor Josephine Socorro Jumamoy, was tied at 22 votes each, prompting the body to call for a second election, supposedly on Sept, 27, to settle the matter.

Boniel’s camp had petitioned LMP-national that there was no need for another election, and that the impasse be resolved instead in the chapter level. He said the tie with Jumamoy could have been settled via a toss-coin or drawing of lots, without the need of the national directorate to declare the Aug. 19 poll as null and void.

Last Sept. 27, however, the LMP-national set to conduct a 2nd election to resolve the impasse for LMP-Bohol officers. The meeting and election of officers, convened by interim LMP-Bohol chapter president, former Trinidad Mayor Roberto Cajes, was attended by 35 mayors.

But Boniel’s camp was able to stop it by securing a temporary restraining order (TRO) from Judge Marivic Daray of the Regional Trial Court-branch 52 in Talibon town. The TRO was secured by Boniel and his allies from the 2nd district: Mayors Natividad Gonzaga of Danao town, Casey Shaun Camacho of Getafe, Claudio Bonior of San Miguel, Jacinto Naraga of San Isidro and Sofronio Apat of Dagohoy.

Boniel and his allies said they just wanted their contentions to be heard as they pointed out that there was no failure of election in the Aug. 19 election and what should be resolved only was just the deadlock between Boniel and Jumamoy for the post of president.

Boniel said they had no other option but to get a TRO from a local court after the LMP-national ignored their appeals. With the TRO, the scheduled LMP-Bohol’s 2nd election was aborted, but after the order’s 72-hour period lapsed on Sept. 30, the LMP-national granted both parties 20 days to tackle Boniel’s petition to uphold the first election.

Jumamoy, for her part, said she respected the court’s TRO, but she lamented that it delayed further the solution to the deadlock in the chapter, which may even deny Boholano mayors a representation in the LMP-national election slated today (Oct. 2). “It could have been easily settled among the mayors without reaching the court,” she said. (FREEMAN)