BACOLOD CITY—A petition seeking the exclusion of former congressman Alfredo Abelardo Benitez from the list of registered voters of the city was filed on Tuesday (Sept. 21), which could derail Benitez’s plan to run for mayor of the city.
Three members of Mayor Evelio Leonardia’s Grupo Progresibo filed the petition at the Municipal Trial Court in Cities.
In the petition, Hector Yula, Teodoro Abao and Jonah Tornea Abao—members of Grupo Progresibo—said the city’s Election Regulatory Board (ERB) gravely erred when it approved the application of Benitez to vote in Barangay Mandalagan.
On April 22, Benitez filed an application to transfer his voter registration from Victorias City to Bacolod City. On July 13, the petitioners filed opposition on the grounds that Benitez is not a resident of Bacolod City.
On July 23, the ERB denied the case filed by the petitioners and approved the transfer of Benitez’s voter registration.
Benitez had announced that he is running for mayor of Bacolod in 2022 against Leonardia.