IMUS, Cavite, Philippines — A court has declared Emmanuel L. Maliksi, not Homer T. Saquilayan, as the duly-elected mayor of Imus town after a recounting of the ballots in the disputed results of the May 10, 2010 automated elections.

In a 269-page decision, Imus Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 22 Judge Cesar A. Mangrobang “annulled and set aside” the election and proclamation of Saquilayan as municipal mayor and “commanded (the town chief executive) to immediately cease and desist from performing office duties and functions.”

The judge said that Maliksi has a winning margin of 665 votes against Saquilayan.

Lawyer Romeo A. Francisco, legal consultant of the Office of the Mayor, said that Saquilayan will appeal the court decision. “The mayor’s office has filed a notice of appeal following the decision,” he told the Manila Bulletin and Tempo.

The court decision was released to both party counsels after it was signed by Mangrobang last Tuesday (November 15).

It was the first time that a court rendered a decision in favor of a losing candidate following the country’s first automated national and local elections in 2010, it was observed.

This developed as the Catholic Church and the police have appealed for calm and sobriety with the development on the electoral protest filed by Maliksi after the elections.

Tension gripped the historical town after the court released its decision on the election protest. Saquilayan, last month said that he would not step down from office with the ouster movement.