Last Friday, former San Andres Mayor Leo Mendoza was the seventh losing candidate in the recent local elections to file a protest before the Regional Trial Court and seek a manual recount of the votes cast.
Two days before, the lawyer-politician also filed separate complaints for usurpation of power, authority or official functions, grave abuse of authority, and gross ignorance of the law against Vice Mayor Gregorio Salvador, Councilor Rommel Antonio and Puting Baybay barangay captain Joan Clavo.
A week earlier, on May 15, Mendoza filed a Motion for Reconsideration with the Office of the Ombudsman asking the graft prosecution body to set aside its Dec. 10, 2024 decision dismissing him from office.
In the election case against Mayor-elect Aly Romano, the former mayor alleged that objections and protests on the voting and counting of votes were registered before the various Electoral Boards but were subsequently rejected and in most cases, such were not recorded in the minutes.
He likewise claimed that massive fraud, irregularities and automation glitches marred the elections in the town in all 48 clustered precincts.
Mendoza particularly contested the unaccounted votes, undervotes, and the excess total votes of the four candidates for mayor compared to the registered voters of the town.
He also said concerted acts of electoral fraud and illegal acts were employed by his opponent, his supporters and followers before and during the voting and counting of votes, such that the protestee was credited with more votes than what he actually obtained in the precincts.
Hundreds of ballots with his valid votes were misread, miscounted and/or rejected by Vote Counting Machines (VCMs), the petition stated, with Mendoza himself saying that when his ballot was signed, no single senatorial candidate nor a partylist appeared in the receipt of votes.
He likewise claimed that there was a pattern of similar incidents in all precincts where there were clear discrepancies in the number of registered voters, the number of voters who actually voted, and the number of valid ballots cast.
The incidents, Mendoza stressed, are a manifestation of a massive orchestrated manipulation of results across the nation during the midterm elections as attested to by some social media personalities.
As of press time, Romano has yet to submit his answer to the election protest.
In the complaints against the three local officials, the former mayor accused Vice Mayor Salvador and Councilor Antonio of unduly and prematurely taking oath as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, before Punong Barangay Clavo even without a directive from the DILG.
He claimed that prior to the oathtaking on May 11, 2025, candidate for mayor Dr. Aly Romano and Councilor Antonio allegedly went to the Salvador residence and had a meeting, with Clavo arriving later and officiating the oath to Salvador.
Among the evidence attached was a letter from the DILG Secretary dated May 13 which was received by the vice mayor on May 14 or after the oathtaking and an office order signed by Salvador designating the PESO Manager as MHRMO.
Vice Mayor Salvador and Councilor Antonio both lost in their bids for mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
Meanwhile, ex-Mayor Mendoza’s motion for reconsideration alleged that the Ombudsman’s graft investigator failed to furnish his counsel with the assailed decision, which he described as anomalous and procedurally infirm being a violation of due process.
He cited errors in the Ombudsman decision, which he said did not consider the loss of Filipino citizenship of the complainant, his presentation of outdated and expired documents on his cockfighting business, its violation of local ordinances, and the harsh and baseless imposition of the penalty of dismissal.