Cebu fifth district Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco | File Photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The outcome of the manual recount conducted by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) has reaffirmed the victory of 5th district Representative Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco in the 2019 elections.
The five-day physical count was held on November 23, 24, 25, 29 and December 1, 2021. But its results were only known recently.
After the conduct of the manual recount on votes casts in clustered precincts in Danao City and the municipalities of Liloan and Compostela, Frasco further increased his lead against Durano by at least 217 votes.
The Daily Revision Statistics Report show that Franco’s lead in the recounted precincts increased by 217 votes from 35,761 votes garnered based on 2019 election returns and the statement of votes to 35,978 votes after the recount.
Frasco won the 5th district seat for the first time in 2019 against Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI by over 35,000 votes.
In statement released on Friday, May 6, Frasco said, he was happy with the outcome of the manual recount, which showed that voters in the 5th district were looking for “change” in the last election.
“Over the past two years we have delivered on our promise of change in the district through the implementation of our projects and programs that have uplifted the lives of the people of the 5th district of Cebu,” said Frasco.
Last July 15, 2019, Durano filed an electoral protest before the HRET and called for a manual recount of the votes cast in the 5th district of Cebu that consist of Danao and towns of Borbon, Sogod, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela, Liloan and Pilar, Poro, San Francisco, and Tudela in Camotes Island.
Durano then claimed that there were “glaring irregularities recorded and observed during election day,” which happened on May 13, 2019.
Frasco was proclaimed winner in the election with a total of 152,436 votes or 56.61 percent of the votes casts as against the 116,826 votes of Durano which is only 43.38 percent of the votes casts.
Frasco is seeking reelection against Durano in the May 9, 2022 elections.
READ: Red Durano calls for manual counting of votes in Cebu’s fifth district