Lim files DQ case vs Erap

MANILA, Philippines – Losing mayoral candidate Alfredo Lim filed yesterday a disqualification case against reelected Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada for alleged vote-buying and manipulation of the results of the last elections.

In a 16-page petition, Lim asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to nullify Estrada’s proclamation and stop him from sitting as mayor.

Lim also filed a complaint for violation of the Omnibus Election Code against city election officer Anthonette Aceret, city prosecutor Edward Togonon and Superintendent of Manila schools Wilfredo Cabral.

Supporters of Lim staged a protest in front of the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila as he personally filed the complaint against Estrada.

Lim claimed that before the start of the elections on May 9, Estrada distributed P52 million worth of food subsidies to 150,000 senior citizens in Manila.

Lim, a former city mayor, said the distribution of P350 food basket per voter was a form of vote-buying in violation of the Omnibus Election Code.

 Renato de la Cruz, lawyer for Lim, alleged that Estrada gave away tablet computers to teachers in Manila during the campaign period.

De la Cruz alleged that the city board of canvassers (CBOC) illegally proclaimed Estrada.

According to Lim, the CBOC conducted the canvassing of votes at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum instead of the Ninoy Aquino Stadium where the canvassing was held in the 2010 and 2013 elections.

“Election results were not electronically-transmitted because the CBOC claimed there was no signal at the Rizal Memorial complex. They manually uploaded the SD (Secure Digital) cards brought to the canvassing venue,” Lim said.

“One can hardly believe that there was no signal in the canvassing venue, which resulted in failure of transmission. If there was no signal, the CBOC should have asked the Comelec to replace the machine,” he added.

Lim claimed that his poll watchers witnessed anomalies in the uploading of the SD cards during the canvassing of votes.

He said based on the certificates of canvass they received, 764,563 participated in the voting. But all candidates in the mayoral race garnered a total of 734,641 votes.

“There were unaccounted 29,922 voters. It is unthinkable that such number of voters did not vote for mayor,” Lim said.

Lim is seeking a recount of the votes.

Estrada received 283,149 votes against Lim’s 280,464 votes.

Erap unfazed

Estrada is unfazed by Lim’s allegations of poll fraud.

“In the Philippines, no losing candidates ever admitted that they lost in the elections. They always claim that they lost because they were cheated,” Estrada said.

He said he would leave the matter to his lawyers.

“I will not waste my time attending to his baseless allegations. I think I was the one cheated because I won by a small margin. I should have protested my small lead,” Estrada told The STAR.

Estrada said he never cheated since he entered politics in 1969 as mayor of San Juan.

Lim filed a disqualification case against Estrada in the 2013 elections, but the Supreme Court dismissed the case in January 2015.