Taguig City will have three more years of the team-up of Mayor Lani Cayetano and her running mate Ading Cruz after the Commission on Elections declared her the winner in local polls Wednesday.
Cayetano, wife of reelectionist Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, ran against Rica Tinga in a campaign that was marred by violence and allegations of cheating. A brother-in-law, Lino Cayetano, meanwhile won a seat at the House of Representatives representing the city’s 2nd District, Manila Buletin reports.
The Comelec has yet to proclaim the 12 winning senators of the 2013 national elections but Senator Cayetano has been a consistent frontrunner since counting started on Monday night.
Mayor Cayetano’s win does not come without opposition, though.
Tinga has accused Cayetano’s camp of massive cheating and plans to ask the Comelec to declare a failure of elections in the city, a Philippine Star report said.
Tinga’s camp has alleged that Cayetano’s supporters distributed “unauthorized but genuine ballots” that were accepted and counted by Precinct Count Optical Scan machines. They said the ballots had been pre-shaded in favor of the Cayetano camp.
The Cayetanos have said Tinga and her supporters have been feeding the public false information to delay the proclamation.
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Photo: JohnCooletz05
