Rama files election protest

CEBU CITY — Former Cebu City mayor and 2025 mayoral candidate Michael Rama has filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), citing alleged irregularities in the automated voting system and calling for a manual recount of votes.

Rama submitted his protest to the Comelec Central Office in Manila on Thursday, 10 days after he placed third in the mayoral race in Cebu City with 120,124 votes.

City councilor Nestor Archival led the race with 256,197 votes followed by outgoing Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia with 176,967 votes.

In his protest, Rama raised questions about the integrity of the electoral process, particularly the performance of the automated counting machines (ACMs) used during the May 12 polls.

He alleged that the machines malfunctioned in several precincts and produced ballot receipts that did not match the choices made by voters.

He claimed to have received numerous complaints about defective machines and stressed the need to inspect them to determine the true results of the polls.

One voter, he said, reported that the name printed on the ballot receipt did not match the person they voted for.

After visiting 31 barangay, Rama said at least 15 of them reported problems with vote-counting machines.

He clarified that his protest was not driven by resentment over his loss but by a commitment to uphold transparency and electoral integrity.

He emphasized the importance of thoroughly examining the vote count, stating that any irregularities must be scrutinized to ensure that the will of the people is accurately reflected.

Rama also disclosed that he encountered a delay of about an hour while casting his vote due to a malfunctioning machine.

He reiterated that his camp would pursue all legal avenues to reconcile discrepancies and ensure the credibility of the election outcome. His legal team, he added, was working on submitting precedents and motions to strengthen the case.