Ousted Ecija mayor asks SC to hold judge liable

Sylvia Austria

MANILA, Philippines — Ousted Mayor Sylvia Austria of Jaen town, Nueva Ecija province, has asked the Supreme Court to hold a judge administratively liable for “issuing illegal orders” that voided her victory in the 2019 elections and installed her political rival as the new town mayor.

In a 20-page complaint, Austria accused Judge Angelo Perez of Gapan City Regional Trial Branch 87 of gross ignorance of the law in granting the poll protest filed by former Mayor Antonio Prospero Esquivel.

Austria opted to vacate her post on Dec. 21, 2020, in compliance with the order from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, saying she wanted to keep the peace and order in their town.

Esquivel quickly took his oath as Austria’s replacement after Perez issued a ruling on Dec. 7, 2020, declaring him the winner of the mayoral race after a manual recount of votes.

In her complaint, Austria said the judge and his sheriff had falsified official documents to make it appear that her lawyer had secured a copy of the ruling, which her camp did not receive.

Austria also questioned the legality of the writ of execution that Perez issued nine days later that paved the way for Esquivel’s return to his former post. “[Perez] failed to observe the integrity expected of him as a magistrate and member of the bar,” she said in her complaint. —Marlon Ramos