Peña raises ‘illegal voting’ suspicions
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

With a recount petition earlier filed in the Isabela mayor’s race, candidates for mayor in Moises Padilla and La Castellana have since filed petitions before the Regional Trial Court in La Carlota City.
Former La Castellana Vice Mayor Felix Feria IV is challenging his loss to incumbent Mayor Rhumyla Nicor-Mangilimutan.
In his petition, the former city official said he is seeking the “real results of the elections in La Castellana.”
According to the most recent returns, the incumbent won by 17.822 votes to 13,987.
In Moises Padilla, Magdaleno Peña, the incumbent mayor, questioned the results from 40 clustered precincts, claiming “illegal voting” took place in the town.
He added, the “illegal vote totals” did not reflect the “true results of voting and counting.”
According to the most recent returns, Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo garnered 13,056 votes to Peña’s 5,493.
All three municipalities are located in Negros Occidental’s fifth congressional district./DGB, WDJ