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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider 3 mayoral bets from Cebu not yet ready to waive white flag

3 mayoral bets from Cebu not yet ready to waive white flag

Published May 14, 2025 10:48 pm
CEBU CITY – The losing mayoral candidates from three highly urbanized cities in Metro Cebu are not yet giving up their respective fights.
RADAZA (FB)
Former Lapu-Lapu Mayor Paz Radaza has filed a petition for disqualification before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against couple Junard and Cindi Chan and their entire slate.
Junard, the incumbent Lapu-Lapu mayor, won as representative of the city’s lone district currently being held by his wife. Cindi will replace her husband after she defeated Radaza in the mayoral race.
All candidates for councilor of the Chans’ Team Kaabag also emerged victorious for a clean sweep.
Radaza is seeking the disqualification of the entire Team Kaabag members for allegedly engaging in vote-buying in the elections.
“Vote buying is normal. This is what the respondents want this Honorable Commission to believe. In Lapu-Lapu City, the respondents’ vote buying is a grand orchestra in open public. The same is shockingly ruled out, disregarding concerned government agencies,” Radaza said in her petition.
The camp of former Mayor Jonas Cortes is also contesting the election results in Mandaue.
Cortes lost to incumbent Provincial Board Member Jonkie Ouano with Ouano getting 94,448 votes and Cortes receiving 101,549.
Two other candidates, Jo Cortes and Gepind Requirme, got 2,667 and 999 votes, respectively.
In a complaint filed before the City Board Canvassers, Cortes’ legal counsel, Benjamin Cabrido Jr., raised allegations of electoral fraud through electronic means, vote padding, and improbability of the data generated.
The complaint said that the number of valid votes in several barangays exceeded the number of voters who actually cast their ballots.
Former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is not conceding yet, saying he is planning to contest the outcome of the result.
Rama got 120,124 votes while the winning mayoral candidate, Councilor Nestor Archival Sr., received 256,197 votes. Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia trailed Archival with 176,967 votes.
“I am not a sore loser. I am a vigilant servant. If there is doubt, we seek clarity. If there is wrongdoing, we pursue justice. But do not force me to concede,” Rama said in a press conference on Tuesday, May 13.
Rama questioned the credibility of the automated election system.
“As such, I am directing our legal team to fathom and take all necessary actions to reconcile the actual situation and the recent election result,” he said.
Citing reports from his poll watchers, Rama raised issues about voting discrepancies, including complaints involving the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs).
Rama added there were also complaints that the names that some voters did not vote for were the ones that appeared on the ACM screen.
“If the numbers don't add up, if the trends defy reason, we must scrutinize,” Rama said.

Related Tags

Cebu Lapu-Lapu City Mandaue City Cebu CIty
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