One Cebu on polls: Questions need answers

CEBU, Philippines - The One Cebu party is looking into how the recent election was conducted, saying there are many questions that need to be answered.

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner and now One Cebu legal consultant Gregorio Larrazabal, who is based in Manila, flew in Cebu to help the party in answering a “long list of questions.”

“We are collating as much information as possible,” he told reporters in a press conference yesterday.

Asked what specific questions the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) local affiliate wishes to be answered, the Ormoc-native Larrazabal said it is “premature” to talk about it.

He added that following the results of their data gathering, they will have to decide whether or not to file for a formal complaint.

“We are still studying what steps we need to take. We’ll take it from there,” he explained.

The election lawyer said his help was asked by defeated gubernatorial candidate and outgoing third district Congressman Pablo John “PJ” Garcia.

The internal investigation involves checking Comelec documents which are currently being requested from the agency, Larrazabal added. Despite the specific “help” asked by PJ, the probe does not zero in on how and why the gubernatorial candidate lost to Liberal Party’s governor elect Hilario “Junjun” Davide III.

“It will not focus on one position only. This is for us to get a clearer picture, to know what happened.”

Larrazabal was a Comelec Commissioner when the Philippines first implemented the automated elections in 2010. He served the agency as a Comelec Commissioner from September 2009 until he retired in February 2011.

Asked to assess the recent automated elections, he borrowed a comment he heard from a woman, saying, “The 2013 election is supposed to be a walk in the park since most flaws in 2010 should have been addressed.”   (FREEMAN)