Court issues TRO to keep Aga on voters’ list

The Court of Appeals’ 12th division on Tuesday granted the petition of spouses Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales to stop the election registration board of San Jose, Camarines Sur, from removing their names from the list of voters there.

After hearing oral arguments, the appellate court granted the Muhlachs’ plea for a 60-day temporary restraining order effective immediately and ordered the election registration board of San Jose to reinstate the couple’s names on the list of voters, according to their lawyer Romulo Macalintal.

Macalintal also said the appellate court ordered the couple to post a P200,000 bond in compliance with court requirements.

He also said the couple were elated by the ruling of the court.

Aga and Charlene filed early this month a petition for certiorari at the Court of Appeals, asking it to review the decision of the municipal circuit court of San Jose to remove their names from the voters’ list because they were not residents of the province.

The ruling was upheld by the regional trial court also last year.

Aga is running for congressman in the Partido district against a member of the powerful Fuentebella clan, which has ruled the district for more than 100 years.

A ruling that disqualifies Aga as a voter in the district would mean he would also be disqualified from running for public office there.