ITOGON, Benguet: A local court junked a petition filed by concerned residents to exclude the name of Benguet caretaker and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support party-list Rep. Eric Yap from the list of permanent voters in the municipality for lack of merit.

In a 25-page resolution, Judge Charlie Vallo of the Municipal Trial Court stated that the petition for the exclusion of Yap in the list of voters of Precinct No. 0047-B located at Tocomo Elementary School in Barangay Luacan is 'nothing but a tool used by the petitioners to fish for evidence against the lawmaker.'