MANDAUE City Mayor-elect Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano has broken his silence following the issuance of a summons by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over the election protest filed by former mayor Jonas Cortes.
Ouano, in a brief statement on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, said he respects the legal process and has entrusted the matter to his legal team.
“We respect the process and we will let our lawyers handle that in the proper venue,” he said.
The protest, filed on May 23 and confirmed by the Comelec’s Electoral Contests Adjudication Department (Ecad), seeks to contest the results of the May 12 local elections, alleging electoral fraud and irregularities in several clustered precincts in Mandaue City.
Despite the legal challenge, Ouano emphasized that his priority remains the welfare of Mandauehanons and the ongoing transition of local leadership.
“I choose to focus on our real work for the city, especially for a smooth transition and to ensure unhampered services for Mandauehanons,” he added.
Alleged irregularities
Ouano called on the public to remain focused on unity and progress, saying, “Let us stay focused in building a better Mandaue!”
The Comelec has ordered Ouano to submit his verified answer to the protest within five days of receiving the summons.
His camp earlier said on Monday, June 2 that they had not yet officially received the document.
Meanwhile, the camp of Cortes welcomed the Comelec’s move to allow the protest to proceed, describing it as an opportunity to clarify alleged election irregularities through proper legal channels.
The protest cited both intrinsic fraud, referring to possible electronic manipulation in the vote-counting process, and extrinsic fraud, related to alleged misconduct in the conduct of the election.
Among the reliefs Cortes has sought from the Comelec is a manual recount of ballots from all 271 clustered precincts in the city. / CAV