Petitioners evidence fails to persuade. First, the affidavits of the
three teachers who participated in the controversial Pasyal-Aral do not
contain anything but the following bare declarations: (1) that they
heard Abalos, Sr. promise that he will give hazard pay of P1,000.00
and food allowance of P500.00, in addition to the regular living
allowance of P1,500.00, and (2) that, before the May 11, 1998
elections they each received P1,500.00, or half of the total allowances
promised by Abalos, Sr. in his speech. Nothing in these affidavits
suggests, let alone sets out, knowledge on any degree of participation
of private respondent in the grant of these allowances. The name of
private respondent was not even mentioned or alluded to by any of the
three affiants.
Petitioner also submitted photographs taken of the streamer at the
entrance of the Tayabas Bay Beach Resort, welcoming the
participants to the Pasyal-Aral and declaring the Mandaluyong City
School Board and then mayor Abalos, Sr. as co-sponsors of the
affair. Since by law, the mayor is a co-chairman of the City School
Board[21], we find nothing unusual in his having co-sponsored the said
event. We on the public school teachers of Mandaluyong City.
Yet it is upon the videotape recordings that petitioner lays much
reliance on, in proving his case for disqualification fail to see the
connection between these pictures and the alleged influence wielded
by private respondent. The recordings are supposed to document how
former mayor Abalos, Sr. announced that his son, private respondent
herein, prodded his father to release substantial allowances to
teachers who will act as members of the BEIs. As found by the
COMELEC First Division, the name uttered in the announcement was
not Benhur, private respondents nickname and what petitioner alleged
was uttered, but Lito Motivo, a name which truly sounded unlike
Benhur.[22] Also, when the COMELEC, through its First Division,
viewed the videotape submitted by petitioner, the speech of Mayor
Abalos, Sr. was cut and so (they) also did not see and hear that part of
Mayor Abalos, Sr.s speech allegedly uttered by him. [23]
In the Petition, petitioners counsel admitted that the assailed
quotation in the petition for disqualification was based on an