Kimberly Capuyan

Outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has lodged an electoral protest with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to contest the results of more than 4,100 clustered precincts following the May 12 elections.

Photo Courtesy of Facebook/Gov. Gwen Garcia.

In a post-election meeting with the town and city mayors of Cebu Province on June 3, Garcia alleged that votes intended for her were credited to her opponent, now Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro.

“Suffice it to say, thereafter, a lot of evidence has surfaced. The latest of which, there is now growing proof that the votes intended for Governor Gwen Garcia, in fact, were credited to my opponent,” Garcia said.

She further urged the Comelec to act with dispatch on her electoral protest against Baricuatro, citing that it did not reflect the honest will of the people.

“We have, as a sign of good faith to all of you, mayors, we have decided to contest all of the clustered precincts, and that’s over 4,100,” Garcia announced.

“As I said, I truly believe that the result [of] the gubernatorial election here in Cebu did not reflect the honest will of the people,” she added.

On the side of Baricuatro’s camp, they said they will answer Garcia’s allegations once the document of the electoral protest is received.

“We are yet to receive a copy of the electoral protest. And as soon as we secure the document, we will provide relevant comments,” said Atty. Edmund Lao, head of Baricuatro’s transition team.

Lao added that he is surprised by Garcia’s move, citing the winning margin of Baricuatro in the midterm poll results.

“It is surprising that such [a] remedy is being availed by outgoing Gov. Gwen Garcia’s camp, considering that Governor-elect Pam Baricuatro received [an] overwhelming 1.1 million mandate from the Cebuanos,” he stated.

Based on Comelec’s final count, Garcia lost her re-election bid for the third straight term against Baricuatro with a margin of over 300,000.