“He must be dreaming,” incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said of his rival, former Mayor Alfredo Lim, after the latter has filed an election protest against him.
READ: Citing irregularities in voting machines’ memory cards, Lim eyes poll protest
Estrada said the filing of the case against him was “most welcome,” saying he is willing to face the charges and defend himself from baseless accusations hurled at him.
“It’s most welcome. I’ve never cheated my whole life as far as election is concerned,” the incumbent mayor said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday.
“I can’t stop him. He (Lim) should feel free to accuse me of anything and file it in court. I’m willing to face all the cases there.”
Estrada said his conscience is clear and he has nothing to be afraid of.
The incumbent mayor did not also mince words when he hit Lim for refusal to admit his defeat in the mayoral race in Manila last May 9.
“He must be dreaming. Ganyan ang natatalo e, kung ano-ano ang sinasabi, ayaw aminin ang pagkatalo (That’s how losers are, they say a lot of things, they won’t accept defeat),” he said.
“But my conscience is very clear. I’ve nothing to be afraid of. I’ve never cheated in my whole life. I’ve been a mayor, senator, vice president, president, I’ve never cheated,” Estrada stressed.
He was also unfazed that he won his reelection as Manila Mayor by only a slim margin of more than 2,600 votes.
READ: Estrada reelected Manila mayor
“Basta ang importante nanalo ako (What’s important is that I won) . There’s no substitute for victory whether it’s a big margin (or not),” he added. CDG