THOUSANDS gathered at the Freedom Park in Rosales on Wednesday, chanting for “Truth, Justice, and Reason.”

Demonstrators urged the local Commission on Elections (COMELEC) office to produce what they termed the authentic ballots, alleging these had been swapped with fake ones. This accusation forms the basis of Regional Trial Court Judge Roselyn Andrada-Borja’s decision to invalidate Vice Mayor John Isaac Kho’s victory in the May 12 barangay elections.

Supporters of Kho maintain that had the genuine ballots been counted, Judge Borja would not have declared Susan Casareno as the winner of the vice mayoral race.

Initially, Kho was declared the winner by the Municipal Board of Canvassers, securing 20,201 votes, while Casareno received 18,933. However, during a recount at the sala of Judge Borja, Casareno emerged with 20,705 votes compared to Kho’s 18,730.

In a prior interview, Kho, who continues to serve as vice mayor and presiding officer of the Sangguniang Bayan, asserted that the court simply upheld Casareno’s protest about alleged vote tampering.

“The election boxes containing the ballots for Rosales were under the local COMELEC’s supervision all along, and I had no means to access or manipulate them, particularly since I was not the administration candidate,” Kho informed reporters.

Kho filed a motion for reconsideration regarding Judge Borja’s ruling on November 28, 2024, and subsequently opposed Casareno’s motion for immediate enforcement of the judgment on December 3. He also submitted a petition for certiorari and a request for a temporary restraining order to the COMELEC’s central office, which has yet to respond.

“We remain hopeful that justice will prevail,” Kho expressed in an interview.

He emphasized that the citizens of Rosales understand that he did not engage in the alleged vote-buying claimed by Casareno, nor could he be held accountable for any errors by the vote-counting machines, as asserted by the opposing party.

Kho noted that he ran as an independent candidate against the incumbent Casareno in the recent election. (Leonardo Micua)