Five months before the May 2010 elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday declared that Roberto "Obet" Pagdanganan is the real winner of Bulacan's gubernatorial race in 2007.
In a resolution, The Comelec 2nd Division ordered Joselito "Jon-Jon" Mendoza to vacate the post.
It said Pagdanganan won by a 4,321 margin against Mendoza in the 2007 elections.
"This is a historical vindication not just for my family, but for the people of Bulacan," Pagdanganan said, reacting to the resolution, which took the Comelec almost three years to issue.
Pagdanganan said he was deprived of the gubernatorial post because he was cheated in the last elections. He said the Comelec discovered that some of the ballots containing the names of Mendoza were doctored.
He said he is willing to take the gubernatorial post from Mendoza despite the Comelec's late resolution of his election protest. He said he would try to implement some of his outlined programs for the province during the next five months.
Pagdanganan has filed a motion for execution, asking the Comelec to immediately order Mendoza to vacate the provincial capitol.
The newly-proclaimed governor said he is running for representative of Bulacan's 1st district.
The family of Mendoza has said that he will run for representative of Bulacan's 3rd district in 2010.
The Mendoza clan, which has forged an alliance with the Liberal Party, is fielding former governor Josie dela Cruz in the gubernatorial race.
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