Recount starts in disputed Pampanga mayoral race

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Following a Jan. 26 order from the First Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), five committees have begun the manual recount of votes cast for the two mayoral candidates in this Pampanga capital during the May 12, 2025, elections. Based on a copy of the Jan. 26 order signed by First Division presiding Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, ballot boxes from 48 pilot protested precincts—representing 20 percent of the city’s 239 clustered precincts—will be subjected to a recount. The revision of ballots is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 p.m. onward at training room 5, on the fourth floor of the Palacio del Gobernador Building at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila. The ballot boxes have been “securely stored” in another training room on the same floor. Incumbent Mayor Vilma Balle-Caluag said she remains “confident” in the recount process. Lawyer Elmo Duque, Comelec Central Luzon director, said the regional office has no tasks to perform in the recount process. —TONETTE T. OREJAS