Raymond contestant protests disqualification claim

Rewritten Article:

Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia of Cebu City is currently under fire, facing a petition to disqualify him from running in the upcoming May 12, 2025 elections. Analiza Pilunes Maglasang, a registered voter and resident of Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, has filed the petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on April 23, 2025, alleging that Mayor Garcia may have violated Section 261(v)(2) of the Omnibus Election Code.

The petition calls for the disqualification of Mayor Garcia, and if successfully disqualified, his victory to be nullified.

Section 261(v)(2) prohibits the misuse of funds from the government, specifically for social welfare projects during the campaign period.

POLITICS

Mayor Garcia called the disqualification petition politically motivated, stating that the opposition likely took advantage of a survey he topped which was conducted prior to the midterm elections by the Department of Political Science at the University of San Carlos (USC) and Centre for Governance, Leadership and Development. He also led the 'Voters' Preference and Perspectives Survey for Cebu City' and the Boses ng Bayan survey by the RP-Mission Development Foundation Inc.

"Even though the importance and significance of these surveys are undeniable... it's still nothing but noise in the media," Mayor Garcia stated.

Mayor Garcia is running against Michael Rama, Nestor Archival (City Councilor), Lorenzo "Yogi" Ruiz (Custom Commissioner), and Juliette Co (independent candidate). / EHP

Additional Info:- As of the latest news, there is no official announcement from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualifying Mayor Garcia from running in the 2025 elections.- The disqualification case focuses on the alleged misuse of public aid for campaigning, not the misuse of campaign funds specifically. The case is still pending official disqualification.

Analiza Pilunes Maglasang, a Cebu City resident, has filed a petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia from running in the May 12, 2025 elections, alleging a potential violation of Section 261(v)(2) of the Omnibus Election Code.
The petition seeks the disqualification of Mayor Garcia and, if successful, the nullification of his victory, based on the allegation of misuse of government funds for social welfare projects during the campaign period.
In response to the petition, Mayor Garcia deemed it politically motivated, attributing it to the opposition capitalizing on surveys he topped conducted by the University of San Carlos (USC) and other organizations.
Despite the ongoing discussions in policy-and-legislation and general news, there is no official announcement yet from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) regarding Mayor Garcia's disqualification.
Mayor Garcia faces competition from Michael Rama, Nestor Archival, Lorenzo "Yogi" Ruiz, and Juliette Co in the upcoming elections, but the disqualification case, focusing on the alleged misuse of public aid for campaigning, is still pending official disqualification.