Public Officers - de La Victoria v. Comelec

De La Victoria vs.
COMELEC
G.R. Nos. 95275-76; July 23, 1991
FACTS:
The contenders for the mayorship of Albuera, Leyte in the special local elections
held on February 1, 1988 were petitioner Sixto De La Victoria who obtained 5, 093
votes, the late Genoveva S. Mesina who obtained 5, 103 votes and Loly C. Fian who
garnered 982 votes. On February 3, 1988, Mesina was proclaimed as the duly elected
municipal mayor of Albuera, Leyte and her running-mate, Aquilino Cantiga Jr. as vice-
mayor. In due time, the defeated mayoral candidate, De La Victoria filed two pre-
proclamation cases in the COMELEC but even while they were still pending, he file in
the RTC an election protest Ex Abundante Cautela against Mesina with claims for
damages, attorney’s fees and costs. Mesina died and was substituted as protestee by
her Vice-Mayor, Cantiga Jr., who assumed mayorship by operation of law. Neither
Mesina’s heirs nor her counsel informed the trial court about her death.
On May 16, 1990, De la Victoria withdrew from the COMELEC En Banc, his pre-
proclamation complaints and the COMELEC granted his motion. The incumbent Mayor,
Cantiga Jr., then filed with the RTC a verified “Motion to Intervene” in the election
protest of De La Victoria. On June 20, 1990, De La Victoria filed a
“Manifestation/Motion” waiving his claim for damages and costs against Mesina which
the trial court granted. Two days later, counsel for Mesina filed a Notice of Death and
Motion for Substitution of the deceased protestee by her heirs. De La Victoria opposed
the motion for substitution on the ground that the heirs of Mesina are not the “real party
in interest” and that since he waived his claim for damages against the deceased, he
heirs have no more right to intervene in the case. The trial court noted the Motion for
Substitution and ruled that such motion was without basis in law, or moot and academic
since De La Victoria already waived his claim for damages.
On July 17, 1990, the trial court promulgated a decision in the Election Protest
No. B-44, declaring De La Victoria, as the duly elected Mayor of Albuera, Leyte, by a
margin of 134 votes over the deceased protestee, Mesina. The heirs of Mesina
appealed to the COMELEC to restrain the trial court from rendering the decision in
Election Protest No. B-44 and filed with the trial court a Notice of Appeal. The trial court
denied the Notice of Appeal and held that the intervenor, Vice Mayor Cantiga is the “real
party in interest” in the continuation of the election protest after the demise of the
protestee.
On July 24, 1990, De La Victoria filed a motion for execution of the trial court’s
decision which was granted the next day. De La Victoria was then sworn into office as
the duly elected Mayor of Albuera. He assumed office on August 8, 1990. As earlier
mentioned, the heirs of Mesina appealed that decision to the COMELEC which then
issued a status quo Order and set aside the trial court’s order denying the motion for
substitution and due course to the Notice of Appeal. It declared the writ of execution null
and void. Hence, this petition.
ISSUE:
Whether or not the heirs of the deceased protestee in an election protest may be
considered as real party-in-interest even if the vice mayor has been allowed to intervene
and the protestant had waived his claim for damages and costs in the proceedings.
HELD:
NO. The late Genoveva Mesina's claim to the contested office was not in any
sense a transmissible right that devolved upon her surviving spouse and her children
(herein private respondents) after her death. "Public office is personal to the incumbent
and is not a property which passes to his heirs" (Santos vs. Secretary of Labor, 22
SCRA 848). Private respondents' only interest in the outcome of the case is limited to
no more than their interest in defending her against the protestant's claim for damages
and costs (which the protestant, herein petitioner, has already waived). They may no
longer prosecute her own counter-claim for damages against the protestant for that was
extinguished when death terminated her right to occupy the contested office of mayor of
Albuera, Leyte.|

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