Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez (File photo courtesy of Ormoc City government)
A petition seeking the disqualification of Leyte 4th District Representative Richard Gomez from the May 12 midterm elections has been filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday. The complaint accuses Gomez of spreading false and alarming information within the province.
In a 25-page petition, Palompon mayoral candidate Ramon Oñate urged the poll body to bar Gomez from seeking reelection, alleging that he disseminated “malicious and false” content through his official Facebook page (Richard “GOMA” Gomez) on March 6.
The petition cites a post by Gomez with the caption: “Palompon is poised to do grave and massive election cheating this coming May.”
Oñate argued that the post contained misleading and alarming information regarding the conduct of the elections, which could disrupt the electoral process and create confusion among voters.
As evidence, Oñate submitted a video from the program “Krusada sa Radyo,” hosted by John Kevin Pilapil, originally posted on the Facebook page of DYRG 101.5 FM Blue Radio.
“Despite the false and alarming nature of the claims made by John Kevin Pilapil, the respondent maliciously propagated, amplified, and promoted these scathing reports by sharing or reposting them on his official Facebook page and online campaign platform,” Oñate stated in the petition.
Oñate further requested that Comelec declare any votes cast in favor of Gomez as stray or invalid. Should the disqualification case reach a final decision before May 12, he urged the poll body to proclaim the rightful winner. If Gomez wins the election, Oñate suggested suspending his proclamation until the case is resolved.
The Comelec has yet to issue a statement regarding the petition.