Two ‘mayors’ occupy Paniqui town hall

Presidential cousin Miguel Cojuangco Rivilla refused to give up the mayor's office in Paniqui town in Tarlac province while his supporters continued to picket the tension-filled municipal grounds, GMA News' "24 Oras" reported on Wednesday.

 

Revilla refused to heed the court order upholding the victory of his rival Rommel David. He stayed at the second floor, where the mayor's office is located, forcing David to stay at the third floor of the municipal hall building.

 

Paniqui police, who failed to get in the premises of the municipal hall, posted at the gate the writ of execution indicating the former board member David as the new mayor of the town.

 

The protests staged by Rivilla's supporters have affected operations and services of the municipal hall, the report said.
 

The Department of Interior and Local Government in Region I claimed they have yet to receive guidelines from their central office.

 

According to Tarlac Regional Court Branch 67, 3,000 votes for Rivilla during the May 2013 elections were invalid since PCOS machines read the votes from ballots which had a shade/mark for two names.

 

After the recount, David won by 615 votes. Rivilla claimed the ballots might have been manipulated during the recount and has appealed the court's decision to Commission on Elections en banc. —Kathryn Tubadeza/NB, GMA News