MANILA, Philippines – Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday to once and for all resolve the election protest filed by his erstwhile rival during the 2010 local polls, former Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, by starting the recount of election ballots.

At the same time, Lim accused Atienza of derailing the election recount that the latter requested from the Comelec by means of refusing to release the P10-million deposit he gave to the poll body to cover the expenses of the recount.

“The Comelec has rendered a decision in November last year which applies to all protests nationwide, that the review will cover the PCOS machine transmitted results. It has already been three months and the recount should have started last Monday, until Atienza objected,” lawyer Rafaelito Garayblas, who is the head of Lim's legal team, said. (Leonard D. Postrado)