At least 10 persons said they were offered P100 to P300 by Team Rama community leaders in exchange for their votes in Cebu City or to stay home and not vote in the May 13 polls.
These accounts formed part of the affidavits to support the election protest filed by two top leaders of Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan with the Commission on Elections in Manila.
In his affidavit, witness Jonard Gomez said he was called by Labangon councilor Segundo Hermosa to come to his home at lunchtime on election day to receive P100 with instructions to vote for Team Rama candidates.
Gomez claimed that he and several other people were also at Gomez’s home to receive their share of cash.
He no longer voted when he got the money, he said in his affidavit.
Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district and outgoing vice mayor Joy Augustus Young used Gomez’s accounts to support their election protest against re-elected Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor-elect Edgardo Labella.
Also attached to their complaint were affidavits of 16 people who accused Team Rama leaders and supporters of coercion which affected the outcome of the election.
Osmeña and Young asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to annul the result of the May 13 election and nullify the proclamation of Rama and Labella.
They said they should be declared the “rightful winners” in the election after the re-examination and recount of votes.
“Other relief and remedies just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for,” said the two complaints which they filed before Comelec Manila on Thursday afternoon.
Councilor Jose Daluz III, Team Rama campaign manager, said they will just wait to receive a copy of the election protest so they could also furnish their official reply to the election protest.
Daluz said the burden of proof will be on BO-PK to convince Comelec on the need for recount.
Councilor-elect Gerry Carillo, one of the BO-PK lawyers, said Osmeña and Young paid P10,000 each as filing fee and another P100,000 each as bond when they filed the separate complaints against Rama and Young before the Comelec.
He said they will also spend for the transport of ballots in question to Manila for the recount if the Comelec investigates their complaint.
Another witness, Roniel Cuizon, alleged that he was called to the Sambag 1 barangay hall at 7 p.m. on May 12 and given P100 by Aileen Guardo, wife of barangay captain Gerry Guardo with the instructions “Team Rama ta ha.”
“I personally believe and I am convinced that the money they were distributing on that night was to buy or secure my vote and those who were with me in the barangay hall,” Cuizon’s affidavit stated.
Despite the money, Cuizon said, he still voted for BO-PK candidates on election day.
About 547, 681 registered voters from the city’s 80 barangays actually voted in the election.
Rama gathered 218, 632 votes compared to Osmeña’s 212,265 votes.
But Osmeña and Young said claimed that various election anomalies, irregularities and fraud, coercion and discrepancies affected the outcome of the election.
Also attached to their complaints were several affidavits of people who claimed that they received P100 to P300 from Team Rama leaders who asked them to vote for their candidates.