Manila mayoral candidate Atty. Alex Lopez cast his vote on Monday, May 9, at the Mariano Ponce Elementary School in Tondo, Manila and debunked reports that he had withdrawn from the race.
Lopez arrived at his voting precinct at around 9 a.m
“Gut feel ko po na ako po . Sumisigaw ang tao, natutuwa ako na napakaganda po ng pagsalubong po (My gut feel is that I will win in this election). People are shouting, I'm glad the welcome was so warm),” he said in an interview.
“Mabuhay po ang Manileno. Makakaasa po sila sa tunay na pagbabago (Long live Manilenos. They can hope for real change),” he added.
Lopez also warned Filipino voters to make sure that their votes count.
This, after several reports showed that some Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) in various polling centers in the city malfunctioned and voters were told to sign a waiver allowing poll watchers to insert their ballots into the VCMs.
Lopez also clarified that he did not withdraw from the race.
“I would like to dispel those rumors. Hindi po totoo yan (Those are not true),” he said in a separate press conference.
“It’s been going around — desperate moves of desperate candidates, of desperate opponents that I have withdrawn),” he said.
Lopez is running under the Partido Federal Party with actor Raymond Bagatsing as his running mate.