LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – One of the eight petitioners in the fifth disqualification case filed against re-elected Rep. Eric Yap withdrew his signature from the charge.
In a 3-page ex parte motion to withdraw as petitioner with attached affidavit of recantation filed before the Commission on Election (COMELEC), Victor Alingbas Belino, co-petitioner and a native of Baculongan Sur, Buguias, Benguet, stated that he no longer wants to be part of the petition for disqualification that was earlier filed against Congress Yap upon deeper understanding of the nature, basis and implications of the same.
Belino was assisted by his legal counsel lawyer Tomas Padaco in the filing of the motion with the attached affidavit of recantation.
He admitted that he was not fully informed of the content, purpose or legal ramifications of the petition at that time he signed the said petition considering that he was made to sign the petition under the impression that it was merely a routine document related to local electoral concerns and not a formal disqualification case against a sitting congressman.
“I now categorically state that I do not support the petition for disqualification filed against Congressman Eric Yap. I affirm that I was not coerced or bribed into filing this motion. It is a result of my free will and my realization of the truth surrounding this matter,’ Belino stated.
He pointed out that his intention in withdrawing is that to correct the record, act with integrity, and preserve the sanctity of fair and democratic elections while being deeply remorseful for any unintended damage or confusion his prior inclusion as a petitioner may have caused to any of the involved parties or the Commission itself.
Under existing laws, rules and regulations, the withdrawal of a petitioner is permitted in legal proceedings, especially when it is made in good faith, without prejudice to the merits of the case where the remaining petitioners.
The motion stated that the Commission should not be burdened with the continued presence of a petitioner who, in conscience and truth, no longer believes in the cause of the same petition.
Further, a party who no longer supports a complaint or petition must be allowed to withdraw to avoid unnecessary and misleading participation aside from the fact that a litigant must act in good faith and fair dealing at all times during litigation, thus, continuing as a petitioner against one’s will constitutes a breach of such principles.
Belino claimed that his affidavit of recantation is a form of admitting his mistake and asking for forgiveness for what had been done as since that day that he was asked to sign the petition, he had been reflecting on what he did and what it meant for the people of Benguet.
According to him, he realized that by signing the petition for disqualification, he contributed to a possible dis-enfranchisement of the province and if the disqualification will push through, Benguet would be left without a representative in the House and that the province’s voice in national legislation would be silenced which would be unfair to all voters, regardless of their political belief.
Belino deeply regretted that he became part of something that could harm the very community he loves and the said guilt caused him to come forward and set the record straight where his decision to support Vice governor Ericson ‘Tagel’ Felipe was personal and that he still respects him as a fellow Cordilleran.
However, he stipulated that supporting someone does not mean blindly following actions that could hurt others.
Belino was not also aware that things had reached the point of filing a legal complaint that would go to the Comelec as he was never informed that he will be considered a formal complainant with all its legal and public implications.
“If I had been properly informed, and if I had been sober, I would have never agreed,” Belino stipulated, claiming that he was under the influence of liquor at that time that he was asked to sign the said petition.
He felt that he was taken advantage of during a moment of weakness and he does not deny having signed the petition but he wants to make clear is that he did not understand the full weight and intention of what he had signed.
He narrated that many were actually disappointed but some people also sympathized with his position but he assured them that he would find a way to fix his mistake and that his affidavit of recantation is one of the steps he promised to take. By Dexter A. See
