Cortes files poll protest

Former Mandaue City mayor Jonas Cortes has filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila, contesting the recent midterm election results that declared outgoing Provincial Board Member Thadeo Jovito "Jonkie" Ouano as the winning mayoral candidate.

- Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon Staff Member

Cortes, who came in second in the four-way race, is challenging Ouano's proclamation due to what he describes as "massive electoral fraud and technical anomalies" across all 271 clustered precincts in the city.

According to the City Board of Canvassers, Ouano garnered 101,549 votes, while Cortes received 94,448-a difference of 7,101 votes.

However, Cortes's legal team claims there are discrepancies totaling approximately 20,195 votes in several barangays, which they argue could potentially change the election outcome.

In response, Ouano acknowledged Cortes's right to file a protest.

"That is his prerogative.

Pero, sukwahi ni sa iyang giingon nga unity ug magtinabangay para sa Mandaue," he said.

Ouano added that his legal team would handle the protest, while his focus remains on ensuring a smooth transition and advancing key development projects.

"I will leave it to our legal team to respond kay ang akong focus now is to prepare for the orderly transition and make sure that my priorities like a new modern MCC building and a modern hospital, among others, are going to be implemented," he said.

ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES The election protest outlines numerous claims of vote manipulation and machine errors related to the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs), including: Faulty VoterVerified Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT)-voters reported that receipts did not match their actual votes, especially for the mayoralty position.