MANILA, May 16, 2013— The two Catholic priests-turned politicians failed in their bid to be elected for public office, according to latest results from the Commission on Elections.
Suspended priests Fr. Ed Panlilio has already conceded defeat to incumbent Lilia Pineda as Pampanga governor while Fr. Leo Casas is losing badly in Masbate gubernatorial race.
Panlilio had 125, 407 votes as of 3 pm Thursday while Pineda got 505, 248 votes, according to partial unofficial tally of the Comelec representing 74.37 percent of the Pampanga election returns (ER).
This is the third time that Pineda defeated Panlilio.
Casas, meanwhile, only had 24,003 votes compared to incumbent governor Dayan Lanete with 126, 994, and Tony Kho, who garnered 105, 758 votes based on the 82.4 percent of the Masbate ER.
Although the total and final votes have not yet been transmitted, it would be impossible to surmount the lead of their rivals.
But Panlilio said he will file a complaint against Pineda for alleged vote buying in the province.
Church law states that priests are not allowed to run in the elections or accepting an office that includes the exercise of civil power. (CBCPNews)
