Mayoral recount in Davao City underway

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday started pulling out ballot boxes here for the recount of votes in the mayoral race upon the petition of former speaker and first district congressman Prospero Nograles who lost to Sara Duterte by over 228,000 votes in the last May 10 polls.

Nograles actually garnered 160,225 votes against Duterte’s 388,465 votes. The Comelec took action on Nograles’ petition for a recount after he paid the P9-million filing fee.

Comelec Davao City officer Danilo Cullo said they were making preparations to transport the ballot boxes to Manila for the recount at the poll body’s head office.

Cullo said the ballot boxes were retrieved yesterday from the warehouse of the city treasurer’s office where these were stored after the May 10 elections.

Duterte said she is willing to cooperate in the recount as the Comelec central office has approved it.

But Duterte expressed fear that the ballot boxes might be switched while in transit.

“We hope nothing of such an incident will happen. We also have our lawyers who will watch over the ballot boxes and attend to the whole process,” she told The STAR.

Duterte said Comelec officials met with representatives of both sides for a briefing on the recount process.