Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Recount ‘favors’ defeated chief bet
ACCORDING to the unofficial tally by her revisors, Marietta Bucao got a lead of 34 votes over the proclaimed village chief of San Isidro, Talisay City in the physical recounting of protested ballots by the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC).
The recounting, which ended last Dec. 12, stemmed from the protest filed by Marietta against Ma. Adelaida Restauro for alleged irregularities in the elections and counting of votes.
Marietta and Ma. Adelaida are the spouses of City Councilors Alan Bucao and Serrie Restauro, respectively. They clashed for the village chief’s post in San Isidro in the Oct. 29 barangay elections.
The election results showed that Ma. Adelaida got 1,404 votes over Marietta’s 1,390, a difference of only 14 votes.
But Marietta, in her complaint prepared by lawyer Delon Richel Ramon B. Urot, said that she was a victim of “dagdag-bawas” (vote padding and shaving).
She claimed that some of the ballots were “intentionally and unlawfully counted” in favor of Ma. Adelaida.
Marietta protested the results in 21 of the 36 poll precincts in San Isidro.
For his part, Alan confirmed that based on the tally of their revisors, who had been attending the MTCC’s physical recounting since last month, Marietta garnered a lead of 34 votes over Ma. Adelaida.
“It erases the 14-vote lead of Adelaida,” Bucao told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
But the camp of the Restauros remained unperturbed by the revision results.
“We do not deny that, but it’s not final and official,” said Councilor Restauro in a separate interview.
Sun.Star also contacted lawyer George Bragat, the Restauros’ legal counsel, but he refused to comment on the case.
Bragat, considered as one of Cebu’s topnotch lawyers, opted to reserve his statements in view of the scheduled Jan. 14 hearing. (GC)
