SC affirms ouster of Batangas mayor

The Supreme Court has upheld the ouster of reelected Mayor Jay Manalo Ilagan of Mataas na Kahoy town in Batangas over the pending criminal cases of rape and human trafficking against him.

In a decision rendered on Tuesday, the tribunal upheld the Commission on Elections decision nullifying Ilagan’s proclamation after he won the mayoralty in the May 9 election.

The Comelec ruling was based on a petition filed by Ilagan’s rival for the mayoral post, Gualberto Silva.

Ilagan surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation in January this year and has since been detained pending resolution of the criminal cases against him for rape and human trafficking.

Prior to his surrender to the NBI, Ilagan filed his reply in the disqualification case lodged by Silva.

The Comelec ruled on April 25 that Ilagan committed material misrepresentation when he ran for public office while a fugitive from justice.

Ilagan sought reelection for mayor of Mataas na Kahoy as a member of the then ruling Liberal Party.

The town’s vice mayor Henry Laqui had filed a disqualification case against him in October last year. Laqui alleged that Ilagan was a fugitive from justice since 2014 when an arrest warrant was issued for him in connection with a rape case filed by a 19-year-old woman from Ormoc, Leyte. Estrella Torres