by Leonardo Micua
ROSALES, Pangasinan — Vice Mayor John Isaac Kho of Rosales has confirmed that he submitted an administrative complaint to the Supreme Court’s Judicial Integrity Office last December, targeting Presiding Judge Roselyn Andrada-Borja of Regional Trial Court Branch 53. The complaint is linked to the judge’s ruling on November 24, 2025, which overturned Kho’s victory in the May 2025 vice mayoralty election.
Kho’s revelation follows a preliminary injunction issued by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on February 18, 2026, which upheld the current status of the vice mayor position amidst ongoing hearings. This injunction allows Kho to remain as Vice Mayor and presiding officer of the Sangguniang Bayan while the case proceeds.
“I’m still waiting for a response from the Supreme Court’s Judicial Integrity Office regarding this issue,” Kho shared in an interview with The Punch on February 26.
The basis for the complaint arose from a court decision that overturned Kho’s election win following a manual recount. Initial results from Automated Counting Machines (ACM) had shown him leading by 1,208 votes against his opponent, Susan Casareno. However, the court found discrepancies, indicating that some votes were misread and that certain Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) receipts did not align with actual votes cast—countering Comelec Chairman George Garcia’s claim of 99.99% accuracy in the results.
In his complaint, Kho accused Judge Andrada-Borja of gross ignorance of the law, manifest bias, and breaches of the New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary. His submission docketed as A.M. No. 01-8-10-SC (Rule 140) and A.M. No. 23-12-05-SC, which outline serious charges, including involvement in partisan political activities and significant procedural violations that could warrant administrative sanctions.