Roundup
House hearings continue, poll ‘operators’ to appear before panel
By PAULINE DYCOCO and JONALYN FORTUNO
AS Congress convenes for the canvassing of votes today, the House investigation on poll irregularities will proceed as losing candidates continue to present “evidence” of fraud in the country’s first automated elections.
The Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms yesterday said it will invite people who allegedly offered to rig the results in favor a certain candidate for a certain fee.
Losing Sarangani town bet to Comelec: Nullify erroneous proclamation
By MINDANEWS
GENERAL SANTOS CITY.–An administration mayoralty aspirant in Maasim town in Sarangani province has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to immediately nullify the earlier proclamation of his rival due to alleged erroneous transmission of election returns from one of the polling precincts.
Defeated Maasim mayoralty candidate Arturo Lawa said on Friday that he filed a petition before the Comelec en banc in Manila to rectify alleged errors in the town’s voting results after the Municipal Board of Canvassers (MBOC) also allegedly failed to properly count the votes cast from clustered precinct number 21 of Barangay Kablakan in Maasim.
Javier ‘dynasty’ wins in Antique
By LORENA CANJA-NAVALLASCA
PROCESS Foundation-Panay Inc.
SAN JOSE, Antique. — As in many parts of the country in the recent elections, Antique voters showed that being part of a political dynasty is not necessarily a stumbling block to victory.
Elected governor of the province was incumbent congressman Exequiel Javier (Lakas-Kampi). His son Paolo won as congressman.
Paolo defeated the incumbent governor, Salvacion Perez, who had served for three terms and was running for the House of Representatives. During the campaign, Perez had raised the issue of political dynasty and corruption against the Javiers.
Poll watch group to seek writ of habeas data
BY CHIT ESTELLA
THE Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) said yesterday it would consider asking the Supreme Court to compel the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic to produce documents and other materials needed to determine whether fraud and other irregularities have been committed in the elections.
The proposal to apply for a writ of habeas data was made by lawyer Lorna Kapunan who said the proper remedy for seeking the truth in the May 10 elections is by availing themselves of the judicial process. She recalled that former Chief Justice Reynato Puno had made this option available when military authorities refused to cooperate with Edita Burgos in looking for her missing son, activist Jonas Burgos.
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Ismael Veloso Mastura, the reluctant candidate
By MINDANEWS
SHARIFF AGUAK , Maguindanao.– If Ismael “Dustin” Veloso Mastura, 39, had a choice, he would be happy running for vice mayor of Sultan Kudarat town. But fate would lead him to run for and win against the 68-year old warlord, Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
His uncle Tucao, who would have been proclaimed governor of Shariff Kabunsuan province in the 2007 elections but for a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court and the latter’s declaring its creation unconstitutional, had filed his candidacy for mayor of Sultan Kudarat town when Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, who was running for Governor, sought the Masturas for a running mate.
Anonymous complaints to be filed before Comelec
By PAULINE DYCOCO and JONALYN FORTUNO
WITH the elections over, poll groups are now bracing themselves for a slew of poll-related complaints to be filed before the courts.
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) and the Citizens’ Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms (CCARE) are calling on witnesses to come forward and file anonymous complaints before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), a quasi-judicial body.
Irregularities mar ARMM polls
By NORODIN MANALAO
Citizens Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms
COTABATO CITY.— Despite the peaceful elections reported in most places in the country, voting in certain parts of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was marked by irregularities.
Erroneous cards stall canvassing in Iloilo
By MELVIN PURZUELO
Green Forum-Western Visayas
ILOILO CITY.— Less than two percent of votes remain uncanvassed in this city but election results have given commanding leads to Mayor Jerry Trenas who is running for congressman and Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog who is running for mayor. Both are running against former justice secretary Raul Gonzalez who is seeking the mayoralty and his son Raul Jr. who is seeking a congressional seat.
Two election monitoring groups dispute Comelec’s claim of ‘success’ in May 10 polls
BY ELLEN TORDESILLAS
DESPITE a 75 percent turnout of voters and 80 percent of results known within 48 hours, the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) and Halalang Marangal cautioned the public against claims of “success’ by the Commission on Elections.
CenPEG’s director for policy studies, Bobby Tuazon, said the Comelec should address the following concerns:
Concerned Citizens Movement: “Absolutely thrilled to have been proven wrong.”
BY ELLEN TORDESILLAS
A civil society group that had warned of failure of election with the implementation of an untested nationwide automated elections said they they were glad to have been proven wrong.
The Concerned Citizens Movement, the group that went to the Supreme Court to stop full automation of the May 10, 2010 elections , said, “But fair is fair. The elections, despite our worse apprehensions, did not fail. Credit should be given to both the COMELEC and Smartmatic-TIM for this triumph of democracy. “