Atienza mulls disputing Manila's automated poll results

Former Manila mayor Joselito "Lito" Atienza is nowhere near conceding defeat to incumbent Mayor Alfredo Lim, saying his camp is mulling on contesting the results of the automated polls in the Philippines’ capital city.

In an interview with GMANews.TV, Atienza said his legal team is already collecting evidence to prove that the automated elections in Manila were riddled with "inconsistencies." "I cannot consider conceding yet. There had been some abnormalities in the behavior of the counting machines," Atienza said over the phone. Lim, 80, garnered 387,048 votes so far, based on the transmitted election results (ERs) to the Manila Board of Canvassers (MBOC), who said he was leading with votes from 1,372 clustered precincts. [See: With 95% of ERs in, Lim's reelection bid in Manila seems certain] Atienza said this stage of the mayoral race was not really about who wins or loses but rather about "ensuring that elections have credibility." The former Environment secretary questioned the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) conduct of random manual testing in Manila. In the raffle done by the poll body on Monday, 30 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines from various Manila precincts had been chosen to undergo the manual count. However, Atienza had received reports that only eight of the 30 machines were subjected under such an audit. The manual count produced figures different from that of the election returns earlier produced by the countnig machines, Atienza claimed. Two weeks ago, Atienza presented to media a city hall employee who allegedly witnessed an attempt to rig the city elections. According to the employee, she saw copies of what looked like prepared election returns that indicated Lim winning over his rivals for the mayoral post. Lim's camp admitted churning up the tallies but said they were only part of mock polls in preparation for the May 10 elections. Razon concedes defeat Unlike Atienza, former National Police chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. on Tuesday readily accepted defeat to Lim. "The people have spoken. I have already congratulated Mayor Lim," Razon, who gave up his post as presidential adviser on the peace process for his candidacy, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. With the elections now behind him, Razon said he could now spend more time with his family and focus on his family business. "I learned a lot of things [with this campaign]. Madaming pieces of experience. I now have a broader view of challenges that might come my way," he said. Lim, Atienza, and Razon were three of the six candidates vying for the mayoral post in the Philippine capital. [See: In Manila local polls, it's 2 officers and a 'flower man']. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV