Brgy polls winner faces protest

CEBU, Philippines - Days after his proclamation as barangay captain of Bonbon in Cebu City, Eduardo Cabriana is facing an election complaint before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC).

Citing irregularities in the process, Alexander Ibarita, a defeated candidate for the post, lodged an election protest before the court.

“…that during the counting and appreciation of votes the various board of election tellers illegally and improperly appreciated the votes in violation of Section 211 of the Omnibus Election Code,” Ibarita said.

“That the protestant (Ibarita) will win by a margin of several number of votes if the errors, mistakes and irregularities are corrected which will also result in the deduction of several votes of the protestee (Cabriana),” he added.

Based on the official result, Cabriana garnered 1,431 votes while Ibarita only had 1,383 votes with a margin of 48 votes. Barangay Borbon has 2,814 total number of votes cast during the Barangay Elections on October 28, 2013.

Cabriana was proclaimed as winner on October 29, 2013 by the Barangay Board of Canvassers (BBOC).

Thus, Ibarita asked for the revision of ballots in the protested clustered precincts by filing the said complaint. The election protest was filed on November 7, 2013.

Ibarita likewise asked Cabriana to pay him the cost of what he has spent in filing his protest.

Earlier, Armando Lozano, defeated candidate for the post of barangay captain in Calamba, Cebu City filed an election protest against his opponent, the newly-elect barangay captain Ma. Yvonne Cana Feliciano.

In his complaint, he alleged that he would be the winner if the chairman of the different Board of Election Tellers (BETs) did not “misread and misappreciated” the votes in 10 clustered precincts.

“For instance, several ballots in every precinct containing wrong spelling but with the same sound when read of protestant’s name and surname were not counted,” the complaint reads.

Based on the result, Feliciano garnered 1,883 votes compared to Lozano, who got only 1,512 votes or a margin of 371 votes.

Aside from Lozano, Marilyn Banico, defeated candidate for barangay captain of Barangay Luz has filed an election protest against the winning barangay captain Rian Tante.

Banico claimed irregularities in the proclamation of Tante.

“Protestant (Banico) strongly believe that the foregoing election result is not truly reflective of the will and sentiment of the voters of Barangay Luz, which result furiously shocked her (my) supporters…in the interest of fair play and justice to resolutely urge the protestant to do something and not to let this patently anomalous irregular and strange outcome come to pass without the protestant doing something for the protection and preservation of their mandate,” the election protest reads.

Tante has garnered 4,838 votes from the entire 28 precincts compared to Banico, who has 3,022 votes.— (FREEMAN)