Brillantes: We can’t act yet on Lucy Gomez ouster

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Wednesday that they cannot act yet on the Supreme Court’s decision to unseat Leyte Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez until the decision becomes final.

“She’s not yet officially unseated, not until it becomes final and executory,” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. told reporters in an interview.

Comelec Education and Information Department Director James Jimenez also said that the Comelec was still waiting for the entire process to finish since Torres had expressed her intent to file a motion for reconsideration.

“We need to finish the process there before we can decide on how it will affect her candidacy or her future candidacies if ever,” Jimenez said.

Comelec said it was also studying whether Torres’ time in office will be counted as her first term being the representative of Leyte.

Torres had won the Leyte congressional seat in 2010 after substituting for her husband Richard Gomez who was disqualified for not being a resident of Ormoc City long enough.

Torres, in a press conference Tuesday, said that she was not worried and that she will continue her work as legislator.

She is presently running for another term as Leyte Representative while Gomez is running as mayor of Ormoc City.