DEFEATED congressional aspirant Joselito "Lito" Ruiz asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to nullify the proclamation of congressman-elect Arturo Radaza, his wife mayor-elect Paz and the couple's allies elected as councilors.
Ruiz, in his post-election protest, detailed allegations of fraud similarly raised by City Councilor Junard Chan in a separate petition asking the Comelec to declare the election in Lapu-Lapu City a failure.
Chan, who ran but lost to Paz, filed the petition the other week before the Comelec en banc.
Ruiz claimed, in his petition for "annulment of proclamation," the results in the May 10 automated elections were marred by massive fraud, vote-buying and disenfranchisement.
"The extent of acts of fraud, disenfranchisement and vote-buying perpetrated by respondent (Mayor Radaza), his staff and supporters were so extensive, systematic, carefully planned and executed that the acts taken in their totality made a mockery of the May 10, 2010 election in the city," a paragraph of his eight-page petition read.
Radaza garnered 70,125 against Ruiz, who had 33,100 votes.
With all the 15 City Council members, including the vice mayor, as allies, the Radaza couple has said they do not see any hindrance to their plans for the city's infrastructure and economic development.
But Ruiz said the election returns reflected a "sham election."
He said the discriminatory issuance of priority numbers perpetrated by members of the Board of Election Inspectors, barangay officials and tanods deprived "huge numbers" of his supporters from voting.
"They issued the first few priority numbers to their supporters, who were all guaranteed of casting their votes and under conditions which were far more convenient than those endured by ordinary voters and non-supporters," he said, adding the act violates the Omnibus Election Code.
The "magic sample ballots" which his group and the Liberal Party have been complaining about prior to the elections were among the evidences he attached to his petition.
He said the so-called "sample ballot" bears the signature of their supporters after they voted in the precinct so they could collect the payment after voting.
The "sample ballots" bore only the names of the Radazas' Derecho 3 slate and beside each name were holes to guide the voters on what circles to shade on the Comelec's official ballots. (AIV)