Mayor Rama Welcomes Poll Body’s Dismissal of Opponent’s Election Protest

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has welcomed the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Manila upholding his victory over Tomas Osmeña during the 2013 elections.

“God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Truth will always prevail,” Rama said.

”Now, the decision really is a manifestation that we have been vindicated. The stand of Team Rama is that we won and he (Osmena) lost over me,” he said.

Osmeña said the decision of the poll body came “a little too late.”

“We will just wait for the next elections,” he said.

In its 12-page ruling dated Nov. 13, the Comelec said that based on their recount of the 119 pilot-protested precincts out of the 592 protested precincts in the city, Osmeña failed to recover the required 20 percent of the overall vote lead against Rama.

This prompted the Comelec to dismiss Osmena’s election protest.

In the 2013 elections, Rama got 218,632 votes from the 592 clustered precincts in the city while Osmeña got 212,265 votes.

Rama won by a lead margin of 6,367 votes.

Osmena filed an election protest against Rama on May 23, 2013 or 13 days after the May 10 elections.

Osmeña’s allegations included electoral fraud, anomalies and irregularities, rampant harassment, threats, vote-buying and terrorism supposedly perpetrated by Rama, his cohorts, supporters and followers. (PNA) SCS/EB/RSM