CEBU CITY – Former Rep. and Associate Justice Ching Veloso shrugged off the disqualification case filed against him by Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez.
Veloso: Disqualification case filed by Mayor Gomez has no basis
Veloso said that the petition that seeks his disqualification has no basis as the incident that Mayor Gomez cited in the complaint happened when it was not election period yet.
The ground for the petition for the disqualification cases that she filed was for alleged violation of Section 68 (e) in relation to Section 261 (e) of the Omnibus Election Code.
The section prohibits “threats, intimidation, terrorism, use of fraudulent device, or other forms of coercion.”
MAYOR Gomez
MAYOR Gomez
Mayor Gomez used as basis for her complaint a video of Veloso taken on Nov. 8, 2024.
According to Veloso, even when they have all filed their certificates of candidacy in October, they were still not considered “official candidates” but mere “aspirants” because the election period started in January 2025.
“How can there be an election offense or violation of election laws, when the campaign period has not started?” Veloso said in a statement.
Mayor Gomez said Veloso’s video stirred feelings of terror among residents when the former Associate Justive said they must not awaken the devil sleeping inside his body, otherwise, he will kill if the need arises.
Veloso explained that his statement was made in jest as a response to Gomez’s camp calling him as “Atty. Patay.”
“This disqualification case is a nuisance and merely a harassment suit as her last-ditch effort to protect her husband from a challenger who is obviously winning. The world is closing in on them, so she had filed cases not just against me but also against incumbent mayors,” said Veloso.
Veloso said it was Mayor Gomez’s second attempt to have him disqualified.
He said the first attempt failed after he was able to prove that he is a resident of Leyte’s fourth district following an inspection of election officers in his residence in Isabel.
Veloso is running against Lucy’s wife, incumbent fourth district Rep. Richard Gomez.