Rama files election protest against Osmeña

RAMA (LEFT) & OSMENA (RIGHT)

SUSPENDED Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has formally filed an election protest against Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila.

Councilor-elect Joy Pesquera, one of Rama’s lawyers said the election protest was filed last Friday, the deadline for the filing of election complaints.
Rama’s cousin, Ernesto “Estong” Rama will also represent Rama in the protest.

“The main grounds for our protest, which is around 20 pages, is election fraud,” Pesquera said.

As of yesterday afternoon though, Pesquera said she still did not have a copy of the protest that was officially received by the Comelec Manila, as this was still with their counterpart lawyers in Manila.

She said there might be some changes to the original protest they drafted.

Osmeña won against Rama by a lead of around 34,000 votes.

Rama has been quite vocal in his claims that Osmeña cheated during the elections and that it was “statistically improbable” that he would lose considering that his running-mate Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and majority of his slate for councilors won as well.

He also cited his independent surveys as the basis why he should have won.

STATISTICAL IMPROBABILITY

In an earlier press conference, Osmeña said Rama’s statement should also mean that Rama admitted to cheating him in the 2013 elections.

“He admitted he cheated me. You know why? He’s saying how come his candidates won but he lost? When you look at the last elections (2013), my candidates won, but I lost. So he cheated me, right?” he said.

“I keep hearing these things about statistical improbability. They’re implying that I cheated. I beat Rama in his own precinct. Let’s analyze it. I must be a very good cheater or he is so stupid. Who wants a mayor who allows himself to be cheated in his own precinct? You want a mayor like that?” he added.

He said that Rama spent so much in the last elections that’s why he could not believe he lost.

Meanwhile, several barangay captains have expressed their support for Rama’s election protest.

Tisa barangay captain Philip Zafra, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), said several barangay captains met with Rama last week.

“More than 40 barangay captains, in a manifesto, signified their continued support to Team Rama and the direction taken by Team Rama (to file a protest),” Zafra said.

He said more would have expressed their support had they known of their meeting with Rama.