Losing Cebu, Negros town mayoral bets file poll protests

MANILA, Philippines — Defeated Cebu City mayoral bet Margot Osmeña has filed an election protest against Mayor Michael Rama.

Osmeña confirmed in an interview over radio station dyLA yesterday that the poll protest was filed before the Commission on Elections in Manila.

”The lawyers are taking care of that,” she said when asked to elaborate.

Rama, for his part, said he has yet to receive a copy of the election protest.

“I don’t want to comment until I have read it. I have instructed my lawyers who are working in that direction,” he said.

In Negros Occidental, mayoral bet Napoleon Delfinado Jr. of San Enrique town, who lost by 10 votes to reelected Mayor Jilson Tubillara, also filed an election protest.

Tubillara confirmed that his camp received a copy of the election protest filed by Delfinado on Wednesday.

Tubillara got 8,182 votes against Delfinado’s 8,172.

Tubillara said he respects the right of Delfinado to file an election protest even as he expressed optimism that he would still win in a recount, noting that the vote counting machines are 99.9 percent accurate.

Ballot boxes were reportedly moved to the compound of the Regional Trial Court in Bago City where the election protest was filed.