Former Bacolod Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson announced plans to file a motion for reconsideration today before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) after they earlier junked his poll protest.

“I feel dismayed over the HRET decision,” he said.

Sayson went on to claim the same body earlier issued two resolutions that claimed his protest “passed the requirement of form and substance.”

“My petition was valid,” he insisted. “There were 27,000 votes that were not counted, is it not anomalous?”

The former vice mayor also claimed incumbent Bacolod Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya’s victory was “not a victory at all,” saying, “It could have been a complete victory if the ballots were opened and counted.”

Back in March, Sayson questioned the credibility of the vote counting machines (VCMs) and requested a manual recount and audit of ballots. He also found it dubious that some ballots did not indicate a selection for congressman.

“They counted votes for other local positions but they did not vote for congressman,” he claimed.

However, Sayson said he is not expecting the HRET to reverse their decision, but noted he is willing to take the matter to the Supreme Court.

“It does not matter if the Supreme Court will issue a decision after the 2019 elections,” Sayson added.

Earlier this month, the HRET unanimously junked the poll protest lodged by Sayson. According to the decision, signed by HRET chairperson, Supreme Court Associate Judge Presbitero Velasco, Jr., the allegations of vote buying and the “questionable mathematical disparity of votes” failed to establish  a cause of action necessary to maintain action./DGB, WDJ