Archival shrugs off Rama’s poll protest, urges ex-mayor to move on

Local

FORMER mayor Michael “Mike” Rama may not be ready to concede, but for Cebu City’s new leaders, his election protest is just politics and “pure imagination.”

Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr. dismissed as unfounded the election protest filed against him and outgoing Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.

In an interview with reporters, Archival said he was unbothered by the formal protest filed by Rama before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which seeks to invalidate the results of the May 2025 automated polls and calls for a manual recount due to alleged vote-counting irregularities.

“Basically, it’s all imagination actually. Imagination nang Mike,” Archival said.

“Ang tawo sa Cebu nakahatag na sa ilang acknowledgement nga ako moy angay,” he added.

Archival, who won the mayoral race with 256,197 votes, said the election outcome reflected the will of the people and questioned the basis of Rama’s protest.

“Di na ko kinahanglan mag-focus ana [election protest] kay ari nako mag-focus sa unsay trabahuon,” he added.

Rama, who placed third with 120,124 votes, filed his protest before the Comelec in Manila, alleging that the automated counting machines (ACMs) used during the May 12 elections were defective.

He claimed that several voters had reported discrepancies between the candidates they voted for and the names that appeared on their printed ballot receipts.

“Daghang ni-reklamo. Defective ang mga makina,” Rama said in a previous statement.

“We need to open the machines and look at the real results,” he added.

He maintained that the protest was not driven by sore losing, but by the need to uphold electoral integrity.

“If the numbers don’t add up, if the trends defy reason, we must scrutinize,” Rama said.

In response, Archival questioned why Rama was singling out the machines used in Cebu City.

“Ang gusto man gud niya, ang tanan results all over the Philippines, usbon na niya. So how could it tell us nga kana rang ACM nato sa Cebu maoy naay dautan?,” he said.

Archival encouraged Rama to move on and run again in the next election if he wishes to challenge the results.

“Ang akong hangyo ni Mayor, fight nalang tas sunod nga election para mohunong nani,” he added.

Despite the protest, Archival said he was prepared to address the matter through proper legal procedures.

“Yes, of course. Yes, we will,” he said when asked if he would face the protest formally.

He also asserted that the case would not delay or affect his assumption of office.

“Of course, di gyud. I’m sure dili,” he said.

Garcia, for his part, said he had not received formal notice of the protest but was not surprised by Rama’s actions.

“Wala pa. But I’m not surprised, no, because wala man jud siya mo-concede,” Garcia told reporters.

“He’s entitled to the remedies allowed by law,” he added.

Garcia, who received 176,967 votes and came in second, said that while Rama had the right to question the results, he saw no need to do so.

“If there were really any irregularities involved in the elections, then your remedy is an election protest. But we all know that it will take forever… Let’s just focus on improving and building Cebu City rather than wasting our effort and time on the election protest,” Garcia said.

He also emphasized that his own voting experience was smooth and problem-free.

“When I voted, it was very smooth. Dali ra kaayo ko nibotar, dali ra kaayo na-print out. Wala man koy nakita,” Garcia said.

While Rama has yet to release the full details of his protest, he said his legal team is preparing the necessary motions to challenge what he described as an “unreliable and flawed” electoral process.

Rama previously claimed that discrepancies in vote tallies between the city’s north and south districts indicated “suspicious patterns” that deserved scrutiny.

He has not conceded defeat, citing the need for transparency and accountability.(TGP)