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.###
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