SC affirms Lucy Torres as Leyte congresswoman

Now, it’s the highest court of the land deciding for actress, television host and congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez.
In a decision this week, the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the election in 2010 of Congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez as representative for the fourth district of Leyte as substitute candidate for her husband actor Richard Gomez.

In a notice, the High Court upheld the ruling handed down earlier by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) as it denied the petition filed by Eufrocino Codilla Jr., the challenger to the congressional seat.
According to the SC, Codilla’s petition challenging the HRET ruling was dismissible both on technical ground and on the merits of the case.
On technical ground, the SC said that Codilla failed to comply with the requirements under Rule 65 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure in filing the petition for certiorari like the material dates showing when notice of HRET’s judgment was received, when a motion for reconsideration, if any, was filed and when notice of denial was received.
“In any event, the (Codilla’s) petition would still be dismissed for failure to sufficiently show that any grave abuse of discretion was committed by the HRET in rendering the challenged decision and resolution which, on the contrary, appear to be in accord with the facts and applicable law and jurisprudence,” the SC ruled.
In his petition, Codilla challenged the validity of the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that allowed Lucy Torres-Gomez to substitute for her husband, and the alleged lack of residency of the spouses in Leyte. The HRET affirmed the Comelec’s ruling.
She had been proclaimed winner by the Comelec with 24,701 more votes than Codilla’s 76,549 votes.
Congresswoman Torres-Gomez thanked the courts for their decisions, adding the rulings will encourage her to work harder.
She was reported to be running for reelection in 2013 while her husband, actor Richard Gomez, was said to be girding to run for mayor of Ormoc City.