Osmeña, Young withdraw poll protest

CEBU, Philippines - Former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña and his running mate in the 2013 elections, former vice mayor Joy Augustus Young, have abandoned their election protest against Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, respectively.

Apparently anticipating a rematch in the upcoming 2016 elections, Osmeña and Young filed a separate motion before the Commission on Elections in Manila to withdraw their protest in the remaining protested precincts.

Rama won by a margin of 6,376 votes over Osmeña in the May 2013 elections. Labella, on the other hand, won by a very slim margin of 184 votes over Young in the vice mayoralty race.

Rama garnered a total of 217,448 votes while Osmeña only got 211,072 votes. Labella had 203,267 votes against Young’s 203,083 votes.

“Considering that there is only a little over one year left in the term of the contested elective position, protestant (Osmeña) herein deemed it appropriate and sensible to withdraw and discontinue the remaining 473 contested and protested precincts for purposes of recount protested precincts for purposes of recount proceedings. Especially so, that it is only quite recently that the recount proceedings on the 20 percent pilot contested precincts has been terminated,” Osmeña’s motion read.

With the withdrawal of the remaining contested precincts, Osmeña wants the Comelec to grant his request to present other evidence on his other causes of actions or grounds of protest which are not related to the recount or revision of ballots.

Young, on the other hand, wants to withdraw and discontinue the remaining 473 contested and protested precincts.

“There has been a substantial movement on the results of the contested position favoring the protestant (Young) thereby overcoming the slim lead (184 votes only) of the protestee (Labella),” Young said in his motion.

Both filed their respective motion on June 8, 2015 before the Comelec in Manila.

Osmeña and Young said that the revision of ballots or recount proceedings of the 119 pilot protested and contested precincts comprising 20 percent of the total 592 contested and protested precincts for them has been terminated and completed by the Comelec. The two also wanted to withdraw their cash deposit.

Comelec has granted the withdrawal and release of the balance of the cash deposit made by Osmeña and Young. The poll body has directed its finance services department to reimburse the amount of P1,112,854.10  to Osmeña and P1,114,289 to Young.

The Comelec, however, deducted P278,213.50 from Osmeña’s total cash deposit while P278,572.20 from Young’s to defray the expenses for the return of the ballot boxes containing the protested precincts to the Office of the City Treasurer of Cebu City.

The Comelec has also directed Rama and Labella to answer the motion filed by Osmeña and Young withdrawing the remaining protested precincts. Rama said he has not received a copy of the motion yet.

“But if ever that is an official document, which it appears to be. Hence, I would say that somehow, initially, ako-ang reaction, they knew that from the very beginning there’s no case,” Rama said.

He said that Osmeña and Young have been trying to convince the people of the city that they could assume the office six months after they filed.

“One year after they have filed, they will again be assuming, and two years have already passed, and they’re still imagining that they will be already coming in and assuming mayorship and vice mayorship,” Rama said, adding that the motion is not a good development since it only proves that Osmeña and Young have no case at all. — /FPL (FREEMAN)