Acting Cebu City Mayor Unfazed by Comelec’s Order on Poll Protest, to Focus on Governance

Acting Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said he was no longer concerned with the order of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) First Division to continue the election protest proceedings to determine who between him and former vice mayor Joy Augustus Young is the duly elected vice mayor in the last elections.

The recount stemmed from the election protest filed by Young against Labella on May 23, 2013, alleging that there was election fraud and massive vote-buying.

Young lost to Labella by 184 votes.

Young got 203,083 votes, while Labella got 203,267 votes.

Labella said he has not read the Comelec decision yet but whatever the order is, he will just leave the matter to his lawyers.

“I have to focus on governance and taking care of the city, I won’t bother myself with this one,” Labella said.

Labella said he is confident he will prevail in the recount.

Labella assumed as acting city mayor after Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama served a 60-day preventive suspension imposed on him by the Office of the President starting Friday, Dec. 11.

Young, on the other hand, said he will let their party leader, former mayor Tomas Osmeña, decide how they should proceed, considering that they already withdrew their election protest last June 1 yet.

He said he is not hopeful there can be a favorable decision before the next election, which is only five months away. (PNA) LAP/EB/EDS