MANILA, Philippines—To a number of local politicians, protesting—and defending—the results of elections is not the culmination of that heated once-every-three-years exercise.

Once votes of a past electoral contest are either affirmed or reversed, it appears to the parties involved that the battle has just begun.

This is the case of at least 14 politicians who will be facing each other in 7 localities in May.

Newsbreak has listed this year 28 cases of re-matches in the local elections. The aspirants in most of these races are simply slugging it out in an election a second time.

However, there are 7 interesting races—2 gubernatorial, 3 congressional, 1 vice gubernatorial, and 1 mayoralty—where aspirants not only faced each other in a past election. They also engaged in bitter protest cases after that, before trying to prove their mettle again this year.

Panlilio vs. Pineda
In Pampanga, incumbent Ed Panlilio will once again face former board member and administration bet Lilia Pineda in the gubernatorial race.

A former Catholic priest, Panlilio defeated Pineda and another administration candidate, then re-electionist governor Mark Lapid, in 2007. The national government considered Pampanga a free zone because there were 2 administration bets running for governor.

Lapid, son of former Pampanga governor and Senator Lito Lapid, ran under the ruling Lakas-CMD party. The younger Lapid’s term as governor had been tainted by allegations that he pocketed levies from quarrying operations in the province.

Meanwhile, Pineda, wife of suspected jueteng lord Bong Pineda and known childhood friend of President Arroyo, ran under the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), the party founded by the President.

Panlilio narrowly defeated the 2 administration bets. Panlilio garnered 219,706 votes, while Pineda received 218,559 votes and Lapid got 210,875.

Pineda filed an election protest and accused Panlilio of massive cheating in 2007. The Commission on Elections recently decided in her favor and the results of the recount showed that Pineda defeated Panlilio by 2,011 votes.

The Comelec said it didn’t find any signs of cheating. It said the difference in the vote count was apparently a result of the board of inspectors’ mis-appreciation of some ballots.

This year, Panlilio is running for governor again, but under the Liberal Party. Pineda is running under the merged Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Lapid, meanwhile, is not joining the race and has been appointed by President Arroyo as general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority.

Padaca vs. Dy
In Isabela, Gov. Grace Padaca, who is running for a third term, will face the Dy who defeated her in the 2001 congressional race for the 3rd district of the province. The lady governor will face off with third-term congressman Faustino Dy III.

Padaca lost to Faustino III in 2001. She protested the results of the counting, but the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) still ruled that Dy won by a lead of 48 votes.

In 2004, Padaca successfully ended the 34-year reign of the Dys in the capitol by defeating Faustino Dy Jr. in the gubernatorial race. Three years later, the re-electionist Padaca defeated another Dy—Benjamin.

However, the Comelec in December 2009 dispelled Padaca’s 17,007 vote lead in 2007. It ruled that Dy won by 1,051 votes. The poll body, however, has yet to issue a motion for execution that will formally unseat Padaca.

Martinez vs. Salimbangon
In Cebu, Rep. Benhur Salimbangon, who was unseated by the Supreme Court, will be squaring off with his rival Celestino Martinez III, the newly proclaimed winner in the congressional race in the province’s fourth district.

Salimbangon, a former board member, was proclaimed winner in 2007 with a narrow lead of 104 votes over Martinez, a former mayor of Bogo City. The case reached the HRET, which ruled that Salimbangon received 453 votes more than Martinez.

The SC, however, declared in January that Martinez was the lawful winner and that he won over Salimbangon by 4,948 votes. In its decision, the tribunal said 5,401 ballots for “Martinez” should be counted in favor of the former mayor because during that time, the poll body, had already disqualified and declared nuisance a candidate named Edilito C. Martinez.

Martinez, however, was not able to occupy his seat because the Cebu bloc allies of Salimbangon were able to prevent him from taking his oath.

Duenas vs. Reyes
In Taguig City, newly declared winner Angelito Reyes, son of energy secretary Angelo Reyes, will be facing again Rep. Henry Duenas for the race in the second district.

Duenas was proclaimed winner in 2007 after he got 1,457 votes more than Reyes. The latter filed an electoral protest and claimed that there were irregularities in 170 precincts.

The HRET, after a revision of the ballots, said Reyes won by a narrow lead of 37 votes. It also ordered Duenas to vacate his seat.

Jaafar vs. Abubakar
For the third consecutive election, Tawi-Tawi Rep. Nur Jaafar will face Anuar Abubakar for the lone congressional seat of the province.

The 2 first clashed in 2004, when Abubakar was declared winner by the Comelec with a lead of 2,040 votes over Jaafar. Alleging that fraudulent acts were committed by Abubakar, Jaafar filed an electoral protest.

Two years later, the HRET declared that the rightful winner in the election was Jaafar. The HRET said Jaafar, a former congressman and former presidential adviser for Muslim concerns, got 1,552 votes more than Abubakar.

Jaafar, a former governor, won a second term in 2007. Back then, Jaafar ran under Lakas-CMD, while Abubakar was with Kampi.

Leviste vs. Ermita
In Batangas, incumbent Marc Leviste—the nephew of former governor Antonio Leviste—will once again slug it out with Edwin Ermita, the son of executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, for the vice gubernatorial post.

In 2007, Leviste emerged as the winner in the 5-way race. Leviste got 334,847 and defeated the younger Ermita and actor Christopher de Leon. Ermita got 316,578 vote, while De Leon got 50,817 votes.

Leviste’s proclamation, however, was delayed for more than a month after Ermita filed a petition to declare a failure of elections in the towns of Taysan and Sto. Tomas due to alleged massive vote buying and terrorism.

Ermita alleged that Leviste was involved in the burning of school in Taysan and that he and his running mate, re-electionist governor Armand Sanchez, distributed money to some village officials. The Commission on Elections, however, junked the petition for “lack of merit.”

There is also an electoral protest against Ermita that is still pending with the poll body.

Leviste is now the running mate of Liberal Party gubernatorial bet and re-electionist Vilma Santos-Recto. Ironically, in 2007, Leviste was the running mate of Santos-Recto’s rival, Sanchez. Sanchez and Santos-Recto are facing off again for the governor’s seat.

Arcillas vs. Catindig
In Santa Rosa City, Laguna, re-electionist Mayor Arlene Arcillas-Nazareno will be facing again Jose Catindig Jr., the former vice mayor of her father Leon Arcillas.

Nazareno defeated Catindig in 2007, but the latter filed an election protest that was dismissed by the poll body last November. The Comelec affirmed Nazareno’s victory and said she was the “run-away winner with a margin of 2,666 over the votes cast in favor of the opponent.”

Catindig was Leon Arcilla’s vice mayor. When Arcillas and one of his aides were gunned down in 2005, Catindig took over, while Nazareno, who was the topnotcher in the city council elections, became the vice mayor.

Nazareno, meanwhile, served as the acting mayor when Catindig was suspended from July 27, 2006, to Feb. 14, 2007, after he was found guilty in 2 administrative cases for culpable violation of the Constitution, grave misconduct, and abuse of authority after he ordered the illegal transfer of two employees of the city government. (Newsbreak)

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