BACOLOD City – La Castellana, Negros Occidental mayor-elect Rhumyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said the electoral protest against her should be dismissed for being “baseless” and for “utter lack of merit.”
Nicor-Mangilimutan wrote this in her response to the poll protest filed by defeated mayoral candidate Felix “Chad” Feria at the Regional Trial Court Branch 63 in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
The mayor-elect prayed for the protest’s dismissal “to avoid the unnecessary wasting of the court’s precious and official time.”
Feria – who got 13,987 votes – lost to Nicor-Mangilimutan who garnered 17,822 votes in the May 13, 2019 midterm elections.
Ten days later, Feria filed the poll protest. He sought for a recount in all 57 clustered precincts of La Castellana due to “massive fraud, terrorism and illegal acts.”
Nicor-Mangilimutan asserted in her response that the voting and counting of ballots in La Castellana were “clearly done in compliance with the applicable guidelines, rules and election laws.”
She added that Feria presented no evidence that the conduct of the elections was hampered.
Feria’s watchers were also not barred during the counting of votes, Nicor-Mangilimutan said./PN
