TUGUEGARAO CITY -- The Commission on Elections? second division junked the petition of former Gov. Edgar Lara to nullify the proclamation of his rival in the May 2007 gubernatorial race.

Saying Lara?s petition was ?devoid of merit,? the Comelec declared in a Jan. 16 resolution that Alvaro Antonio?s proclamation as governor of Cagayan was properly done by the provincial board of canvassers (PBOC).

Antonio was proclaimed winner with 175,484 votes as against Lara?s 174,822 votes.

Levito Baligod, Lara?s lawyer, said the decision was issued even as the commission had yet to resolve Lara?s motion to defer Antonio?s proclamation pending the correction of entries in a supposed erroneous statement of votes in Lal-lo town.

Lara said he would appeal the decision. ?The fight is not yet over. My lawyer will exhaust all possible legal remedies,? he said.

Antonio, a former mayor of Alcala town, said the Comelec?s decision would settle the controversy in the gubernatorial race.

He asked Lara to accept defeat and help him bring development to the province.

?This will put the issue to rest. I offer [Lara] a gesture of reconciliation for the sake of Cagayanos,? Antonio told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Last year, Lara protested the PBOC?s use of the certificate of canvass (COC) from Tuao town, while Antonio protested the use of the Lal-lo COC in the canvassing of votes.

Lara filed a petition with the PBOC to exclude the Tuao COC from the canvass, saying the COC and statement of votes in the town were ?falsified, prepared under duress and contained discrepancies and errors.?

Antonio also filed a petition to exclude the COC of Lal-lo because the statement of votes was allegedly falsified. Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon