Rama files protest

More than a week after the midterm elections, former Cebu City mayor and mayoral candidate Michael Rama has formally filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), challenging the results of the mayoral race and calling for a manual recount of votes.

- Iris Hazel Mascardo, Staff Member

Rama confirmed this legal action to the media yesterday, May 22, in a phone conversation, an hour after he officially filed the protest.

He, however, limited the legal arguments in the context of his protest, saying that he will provide details in a proper press conference once he is back in Cebu City next week.

Rama, who came in third in the election result, said this action formalized what he initially expressed in a press conference last week with Cebu media, where he questioned the results of the 2025 polls, citing concerns about the credibility of the Automated Counting Machines (ACM).

In an update from One News, Rama's election protest also includes a request to conduct a manual recount of votes.

A day after the elections, Rama called for a press conference to express his refusal to concede. It was during that same event that Rama said the fight is not yet over, stating that he personally experienced glitches with the ACM, which caused an hour-long delay before he was able to officially cast his vote.