IAN’S POINT. Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas (standing) hammers home a point while his challengers Joaquin Uy (left) and Councilor Roger Abaday (right) listen during a public debate organized by ABS-CBN here over the weekend. Acenas has questioned the results of the mock polls at the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (Must) that showed Abaday on the top. (PHOTO BY NITZ ARANCON)
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By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

VICE Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas yesterday expressed serious doubts over the credibility of the mock polls at the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (Must) that showed him trailing behind his challenger Councilor Roger Abaday.

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Acenas said the results caught him by surprise given that the stateun university is his alma mater, and because he once served as president of its students’ council.

Acenas said he suspected that the results were manipulated even as he noted that many of its students are not really from the city.

The results of the Must mock polls show Councilor Abaday as the university’s favorite candidate for vice mayor with 440 votes or 39.4 percent.

Acenas was behind with 360 votes or 32.2 percent.

Another Acenas challenger, Joaquin Uy, bagged 242 votes or 21.6 percent.

The organizers said over a thousand students participated in the mock elections last week, and that 389 or 34.86 percent of those who participated were nonegistered voters.

“Popular kaayo ko diha, and then I once served as its student leader, not to mention that I am an incumbent. Imposible kaayo ang resulta. Akong pangutan-on ang organizers kung gi-unsa nila pag-come up with the result,” Acenas said. “Most of the students come from the municipalities.”

Acenas said he also suspected that the Must mock elections were hurriedly made just to counter the results of the mock polls at the Jesuitun Xavier University a week earlier.

“But at the end of the day, the registered voters of Cagayan de Oro will be the ones to really decide,” Acenas said.

The president of Must’s Supreme Student Council, Kenneth Asuncion, said the mock election was initiated by students, and did not involve Must president Ricardo Rotoras.

“Student-initiated ra gyud to nga mock election. Wala man pod mo-intervene ang school  administration so para sa amo good as approved na to,” said Asuncion.

Asuncion said organized students did not see the impact of the mock elections, and beither did they anticipate the public reactions.

“Wala kami nangayog authority before sa among mock election kay wala namo ma-anticipate daan  ang impact ug reaction sa public kay amo-amo ra man to,” he said.

Mayor Oscar Moreno earlier said he also found the Must mock elections suspect.

In the Must mock polls, Moreno ended up a poor second to his challenger 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

The Must mock polls showed Rodriguez receiving 50.63 percent in the manual voting. Moreno bagged 27.51 percent of the votes while former mayor Vicente Emano received 16.13 percent.

In the Xavier mock polls a week earlier, Moreno and Acenas emerged as the favorite candidates for mayor and vice mayor, respectively.

Asuncion said 1,116 students participated in the manual  voting while 1,300 others took part in the online mock polls.

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