We strongly condemn the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to retrieve the ballots in Taguig City that will be used as basis for a resolution on a pending electoral case filed against incumbent Mayor Lani Cayetano’s rival, losing mayoralty candidate and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Dante Tinga.

February 20, 2012

Our camp has already filed an “Extremely Urgent Motion for Clarification” to remind the Comelec to follow the process in handling Tinga’s poll protest.

First, the poll body should clarify if the ballot boxes will be used for recount or revision, because these are two different things. We also appealed for them to conduct a “technical examination” of the CF cards, PCOS machines, ballots and election returns before insisting on retrieving the PCOS machines that contain the ballots.

Second, we urged the Comelec to have an “inventory” of CF cards. Based on the poll body’s Rules of Procedure, it is only appropriate that the CF cards will be used as basis if there are questions in the counting of votes and NOT the ballots. But we are wondering why the Comelec is unwilling to conduct an inventory of the CF cards, amid reports that the CF cards have been missing. Are the CF cards missing or did they disappear in thin air to make it appear that they were missing?

Third, the utter disregard of the Comelec to dismiss Tinga’s electoral protest because it laid the same grounds as the Cabuyao, Laguna case earlier dismissed by the poll body shows its apparent bias against Mayor Lani’s camp. Why is the Comelec still not dismissing the protest against Mayor Lani which is the same as the Cabuyao, Laguna case?

These are the reasons why the Comelec should not insist in recalling the PCOS machines that contain the ballots to be used in resolving the poll protest.

It can be recalled that the integrity of the ballot boxes had been compromised during the transition period, since they were in the earlier custody of the Tinga administration. They always drove away our watchers who should have been guarding the ballots.

What they had done to the ballot boxes then is inimitable to their knowledge, but we have pieces of evidence to prove that the contested ballots have been tampered with by the previous administration. When the Comelec did a re-sealing of the ballot boxes, it emerged that almost all ballot boxes have no locks, no seals, have been damaged and opened, and with cigarette butts. These are proof that the ballot boxes had already been compromised.

We have reasons to believe that Tinga is using influence to pressure high-ranking officials of the Comelec to rule in his favor.

From being in the 44th list of electoral cases in the Comelec, the Taguig poll protest has been marked 2nd due to Tinga’s apparent hand.

People should also be reminded that Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. was the elections lawyer of Dante Tinga in this electoral protest. Besides, Commissioner Lucenito Tagle was also Tinga’s law partner.

It was also a mystery for us how Tinga was able to obtain advance information regarding the date of the retrieval of the ballots. Tinga even announced this in a meeting of his local party last February 15, or 11 days before the Comelec En Banc released the order.

Tinga’s camp is clearly on the loose to sabotage the many reforms that have been put in place since Mayor Lani took over, in their desperate move to take back control of Taguig.

We will not allow these disruptions take a toll in pursuing reforms, programs and projects of the Cayetano administration.

We are urging the Comelec to exercise fairness in this case for the benefit of Taguigenos who are now reaping the benefits of the many reforms.

This year, the fund of the Taguig City Scholarship Program of Mayor Lani increased to P200 million from P100 million last year, from only P5 million during the Tinga administration. The Cayetano administration has also implemented free education from pre-school up to college, distributed free uniforms and complete school supplies apart from the free graduation to all students of the city’s public schools.

Taguigenos are benefiting from the social programs of Mayor Lani through the Taguig City Integrated Survey System (TCISS) for the efficient delivery of the needs of residents like wheelchairs and medicines. The city government has also implemented the Transaction Tracking System (TTS) that seeks to weed out corruption and red tape in the bureaucracy.

Mayor Lani’s battle against corruption has also been paying off, with the Department of Budget and Management recognizing the city as the lone local government unit in the Top 10 that follows President Benigno Aquino III’s directive for smoother and corrupt-free procurement processes.

Mayor Lani was also awarded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for Best of the Best Practices Award for the unwavering support to the police. Mayor Lani also proved to be commendable for being cited by the Department of Interior and Local Government as among the Top Performing Local Government Units in 2010.

We are maintaining that the camp of Mayor Lani did not manipulate the results of the 2010 mayoralty elections in Taguig. Ultimately, it is not within our character to commit such wrongdoing to the people. Our strategy was to win the elections in a decent way.

Mayor Lani’s camp will follow the rule of law. Taguigenos should not be wary of this situation because we are exhausting all legal means to put order and unravel the truth. ###

Statement of Atty Darwin Icay
Spokesman and chief of Public Information Office (PIO)

Mariin naming kinukondena ang hakbang ng Commission on Elections na kunin ang mga balota para gamiting batayan sa electoral case ng tinalo ni Mayor Lani Cayetano sa halalan na si dating Supreme Court Associate Justice Dante Tinga.

Naghain na ang ating kampo ng “Extremely Urgent Motion for Clarification” upang ipaalala sa Comelec na dapat idaan sa tamang proseso ang paghawak sa election protest na inihain ni Dante Tinga.

Una, dapat liwanagin sa kautusan kung ang pagkuha sa mga balota ay upang mag recount or revision dahil napakalaki ng pagkakaiba ng mga ito. Hiniling din natin na magkaroon ng “technical examination” ng mga CF cards, pcos machines and ballots and election returns bago piloting ipakuha ang mga pcos machines na naglalaman ng mga balota.

Pangalawa, iginiit natin sa Comelec na magkaroon ng “inventory” ng CF cards. Ayon sa Comelec Rules of Procedure nararapat lamang na ang mga CF cards ang maging batayan kung sakali magkaroon ng mga kuwestiyon sa bilangan ng boto at HINDI ang mga balota. Ngunit ang nakapagtataka ay kung bakit ayaw ng Comelec na magkaroon ng inventory ng CF cards upang ito ang maging basehan. Lalo na ngayon may mga balita na ang mga CF cards ay nawawala. Ang tanong ngayon, ito ba ay nawala o winala?

Pangatlo, ang hindi pagpansin Comelec sa ating kahilingan na ibasura na ang protesta ni Tinga dahil ito ay kaparehong kapareho ng electoral case sa Cabuyao Laguna na kanilang una ng ibinasura dahil sa kawalan ng batayan. Bakit ang protesta laban kay Mayor Lani na kaparehas na kaparehas ng Cabuyao case ay hindi pa ibasura o idismiss?

Ito ang mga kadahilanan kung bakit hindi dapat pilitin na kunin ang mga Pcos na naglalaman ng mga balota upang maging batayan ng election protest laban kay Mayor Lani Cayetano.

Kung inyong gugunitain, nasa pangangalaga ng Tinga administration ang mga kinukuwestiyong balota noong transition period. Palagiang itinataboy an gating mga watchers na dapat nagbabantay sa mga balota.

Kung ano ang kanilang ginawa sa mga balota noong panahong yaon ay sila na lamang ang nakaaalam. Subalit may mga ebidensiya kaming hawak na malinaw na nagpapakitang pinakialaman ang mga balota. Nang magsagawa ng re-sealing ang Comelec lumabas ang katotohanan na halos lahat ng ballot boxes ay sira, nakabukas, walang lock at selyo, may mga upos pa ng sigarilyo ang luob nito. Ito ay nagpapatunay na ang mga balota ay “tampered” na at wala ng integridad.

May mga dahilan kami para paniwalaang ginagamit ni Tinga ang kanyang impluwensiya sa matataas na opisyal ng Comelec . Hindi na inalintana ni Tinga ang proseso masunod lamang ang kanyang kapritso.

Inyo pa bang natatandaan nang mula pang-44 ay ginawang pang-2 ng Comelec 2nd division ang Taguig electoral case sa kanilang prayoridad?.

At sana’y hindi rin ninyo makalimutan na ang abogado ni Dante Tinga sa mismong electoral case na ito ay ang kasalukuyang chairman ng Comelec na walang iba kundi si Atty. Sixto Brillantes Jr., bukod pa sa dating law partner nito si Lucenito Tagle na commissioner sa Comelec.

Isa ring palaisipan para sa amin ang pagkakaroon ni Tinga ng “advance information” tungkol sa petsa kung kailan babawiin ang mga balota. Ini-anunsiyo ito ni Tinga sa isang pagtitipon ng kanyang lokal na partido noong Pebrero 5, o 11 araw bago pa man inilabas ng Comelec En Banc ang order patungkol dito.

Ang ginagawang ito ay malinaw na panggugulo ng kampo ng mga Tinga sa layuning harangin at isabotahe ang maraming reporma na ipinatutupad ng administrasyong Cayetano upang makuha at maibalik sa kanila ang poder ng kapangyarihan.

Hindi kami papayag at hindi namin pahihintulutan ang pananabotaheng ito nang sa gayon ay magtuluy-tuloy ang mga reporma, programa at proyektong inyo nang pinakikinabangan ngayon.

Umaapela kami sa Comelec na maging patas kay Mayor Lani Cayetano alang-alang sa kapakanan ng nakararaming Taguigueno na nakikinabang ngayon sa napakaraming reporma na naipatupad sa maikling panahon pa lamang ng kanyang panunungkulan .

Sa taong ito, ang Taguig City Scholarship Program ni Mayor Lani ay itinaas sa P200 milyon ang dating P100 milyon pondo nito noong nagdaang taon; libreng edukasyon mula pre-school hanggang kolehiyo; libreng uniporme at kumpletong gamit pang-eskwela bukod pa sa libreng graduation sa lahat ng mga mag-aaral sa pampublikong paaralan.

Naramdaman din ng mga Taguigueno ang social program ng lungsod sa pamamagitan ng Taguig City Integrated Survey System (TCISS) na naging dahilan kung bakit mabilis ng nakararating sa mga Taguigueno ang mga gamot, wheelchair at iba pang serbisyo ng lokal na pamahalaan.

Pinakikinabangan na rin ngayon ang sistema na nagtanggal ng red tape at ang mga padulas sa pamamagitan ng Transaction Tracking System (TTS). Nagbunga rin kaagad ang paglaban ni Mayor Lani sa katiwalian dahil mismong ang Department of Budget ang Management (DBM) ang nagbigay ng parangal sa Taguig bilang nag-iisang local government unit na pumasok sa Top 10 ng mga departamento , ahensiya at tanggapan ng gobyerno na tumalima sa direktiba ni Pangulong Noynoy Aquino na gamitin ang procurement service para mabura ang katiwalian sa pamahalaan.

Ibinigay din kay Mayor Lani ng Philippine National Police (PNP) ng espesyal na award na Best of the Best Practices Act dahil sa mga makabuluhan at walang humpay na suportang ipinagkaloob sa pulisya. Pinatunayan din ni Mayor Lani na nararapat siya sa puwesto nang parangalan ang Taguig City government bilang isa sa Top Performing Local Government Units ng taong 2010 batay sa pag-aaral na isinagawa ng Department of Interior and Local Government o DILG.

Iginigiit namin na hindi nandaya ang kampo ni Mayor Lani noong nagdaang halalan. Una sa lahat ay wala ito sa aming karakter at wala rin kaming kakayahan para ito ipatupad. Ang aming istratehiya ay ipanalo ang halalan sa disenteng paraan na siya namang naganap.

Aming tinitiyak na susunod sa batas ang kampo ni Mayor Lani. Huwag pong mabahala ang mga Taguigueno dahil patuloy ang aming paghahanap ng mga ligal na paraan para maituwid ang pambabaluktot sa katotohanan.###