SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga. —The Second Division of the Commission on Elections on Thursday declared former provincial board member Lilia Pineda won by 1,561 votes over Gov. Eddie Panlilio in the 2007 elections.
In an interview with Punto, Second Division chairman Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer stressed, however, that the decision was not immediately executory as the camp of Panlilio still had five days from today within which to submit a petition for reconsideration.
Panlilio’s lawyer Ernesto Francisco said he will file the petition Tuesday.
While members of the Pampanga Mayors’ League expressed jubilation over the Comelec decision, civil society groups have expressed concern.
Aur Broquil, chairperson of the Kilusan para sa Pampansang Demokrasya, accused the Comelec of bias in favor of Pineda, as she noted that Pineda and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are known to be close friends.
“It’s all part of a grand scheme of Mrs. Arroyo to install Pineda because that would work well for her plans to run for Congress in the second district,” she said.
At the Capitol here, Panlilio’s chief of staff Armando Vitug asked Panlilio’s supporters to start a prayer vigil earlier than the initially slated 7 p.m. at the Capitol grounds. Employees will reportedly wear black during the vigil. Otherwise, however, the atmosphere remained calm as news spread about the Comelec verdict at about 3:30 p.m. today.
The Second Division cited results of the recount of votes cast for governor in the 2007 polls indicating that Pineda got 190,279 votes as against Panlilio’s 188,718.
The recount, completed in September, arose from the electoral protest filed by Pineda after the Comelec proclaimed that Panlilio won over her by 1,145 votes in the 2007 gubernatorial elections.
Ferrer said in the interview that while the verdict ordered the ouster of Panlilio, Pineda could not take over the governor’s post unless Panlilio fails to submit any petition for reconsideration within five days.
“Also, the decision can not be enforced without any writ of execution from the division,” he said. The petition for reconsideration would then be submitted to the Comelec en banc for decision.
Ferrer also said the en banc’s verdict could also be appealed before the Supreme Court. Asked whether supporters of Panlilio should expect immediate takeover of the gubernatorial post, he emphatically replied, “No.”
In an interview, however, Pineda’s lawyer George Garcia said he would immediately file a petition for a writ of execution of the Comelec decision. He said the Supreme Court has recently been approving such petitions so as not to deprive a candidate such as Pineda of what remains of her term.
Meanwhile, Broquil debunked the allegations Pineda made in her electoral complaint that Panlilio committed anomalies in the 2007 polls.
She noted that Pineda had vast resources when she ran as candidate of the administration Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi Party), while Panlilio, who had just resigned from being parish priest of Betis in Guagua town, was an independent candidate without resources.
During the last elections, the Pampanga Mayors’ League (PML) also backed Pineda as the league’s president is her son, Lubao Mayor Dennis Pineda.
Panlilio is seeking reelection as the official candidate of the Liberal Party in the May polls while Pineda is running anew for governor as candidate of the administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD party.
Pineda is the wife of Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, who was tagged as a big time gambling lord during the Senate trial on the plunder charges against former President Estrada.