October 2009 - Philippine Supreme Court Decisions/Resolutions

Philippine Supreme Court Jurisprudence


Philippine Supreme Court Jurisprudence > Year 2009 > October 2009 Decisions > G.R. No. 181869 - Ismunlatip H. Suhuri v. The Honorable Commssion on Elections (En Banc), The Municipal Board of Canvassers of Patikul, Sulu and Kabir E. Hayundini :




G.R. No. 181869 - Ismunlatip H. Suhuri v. The Honorable Commssion on Elections (En Banc), The Municipal Board of Canvassers of Patikul, Sulu and Kabir E. Hayundini

PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

EN BANC

[G.R. NO. 181869 : October 2, 2009]

ISMUNLATIP H. SUHURI, Petitioner, v. THE HONORABLE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS (En Banc), THE MUNICIPAL BOARD OF CANVASSERS OF PATIKUL, SULU AND KABIR E. HAYUDINI, Respondents.

D E C I S I O N

BERSAMIN, J.:

In this special civil action for certiorari, the Court again determines whether or not the exclusion of certain election returns from the canvass due to allegations of irregularities and statistical improbability made by a candidate are proper grounds for a pre-proclamation controversy by which to annul the proclamation of his rival as duly-elected.

THE CASE

The Municipal Board of Canvassers (MBC) of Patikul, Sulu had earlier ruled against petitioner Ismunlatip H. Suhuri's plea for the exclusion of 25 election returns from the canvass of votes cast for the 2007 mayoralty race in Patikul, Sulu and then proclaimed respondent Kabir E. Hayudini as the duly-elected Mayor. Appealing to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Suhuri insisted on the invalidity of the proclamation because of the existing pre-proclamation controversy involving the exclusion of the 25 election returns. The COMELEC, Second Division, had sustained Suhuri's appeal and nullified Hayudini's proclamation, but the COMELEC en banc reversed the Second Division through the assailed resolution of January 29, 2008.

Suhuri thus assails on certiorari the January 29, 2008 resolution of the COMELEC en banc that reversed the resolution of the Second Division.1 He claims that the COMELEC en banc thereby gravely abused its discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction.

ANTECEDENTS

Suhuri ran for the position of Municipal Mayor of Patikul, Sulu during the May 14, 2007 national and local elections. He was opposed by Hayudini and a third candidate, Datu Jun Tarsum.2 During the canvassing held on May 17, 2007 within the Sulu State College in Jolo, Sulu, Suhuri orally objected to the inclusion of the election returns from the following 25 precincts, namely: Precincts 09/10A, 11A/12A, 13A/14A, 15A/16A, 17A/18A, 19A/20A, and 21A/22A of Barangay Anuling; Precincts 47A/48A, 49A/50A, and 51A/52A of Barangay Bongkuang; Precincts 87A/88A, 89A/90A, 91A/92A, 93A/94A, 95A/96A, 97A/98A, and 99A/100A of Barangay Langhub; Precincts 101A/102A, 103A/104A, 105A/106A, 107A/108A, and 109A/110A of Barangay Latih; and Precincts 116A/117A, 118A/119A, and 120A of Barangay Maligay. The affected precincts carried a total of 4,686 votes.3 He later filed with the MBC written petitions regarding such exclusion on May 17, 18 and 19, 2007.4 He asserted that the 25 election returns were "(1) [o]bviously manufactured; (2) [t]ampered with or falsified; (3) [p]repared under duress; and (4) [characterized by] [s]tatistical improbability."5

The MBC ruled against Suhuri in the evening of May 19, 2007 by rejecting his objections to the 25 election returns.6 Then and there, he manifested his intent to appeal vis - �-vis the ruling. He filed his notice of appeal shortly thereafter.7 In the same evening, the MBC proclaimed Hayudini as the duly elected Mayor for having obtained 7,578 votes as against Suhuri's 6,803 votes based on a complete canvass of the election returns, for a margin of 775 votes in favor of Hayudini.8

On May 23, 2007, Suhuri filed a petition-appeal with the COMELEC,9 docketed as S.P.C. No. 07-118. The petition-appeal was assigned to the Second Division.

On May 25, 2007, Suhuri likewise filed an election protest ad cautelam dated May 21, 2007 in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Patikul, Sulu to contest the results of the elections for Municipal Mayor of Patikul, Sulu.10 On June 28, 2007, however, the RTC held the election protest in abeyance upon Suhuri's own motion due to his pending pre-proclamation controversy in S.P.C. 07-118.

In a further move, Suhuri brought a so-called petition to declare a failure of election with urgent motion to suspend and/or annul the canvass of the election returns dated May 18, 2007,11 referring to the results from the 25 precincts in Barangays Anuling, Bongkaung, Langhub, Latih, and Maligay, all within Patikul, Sulu. However, the COMELEC en banc denied the petition for insufficiency of evidence on October 9, 2007.12 ???�r?bl?�


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