Final Barbers-Biazon bout today

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will decide today who between Senators Robert Barbers and Rodolfo Biazon will get to stay on in office after June 30.

Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said yesterday the first division of the poll body will hold a last and final hearing on the electoral protest filed by Barbers against his fellow administration candidate at 10 a.m.

Statistical data are expected to be provided by lawyers of both Biazon and Barbers that will help the Comelec determine who is the real winner, said Borra, a member of the first division.

Barbers earlier filed the complaint alleging that Biazon’s proclamation last June 2 as the 12th winning senator in the May elections was illegal, premature and anomalous since there were still enough votes left untallied that could materially change the results.

With votes coming from some 29,000 registered voters in 10 various towns yet to be canvassed, he claimed he has more than enough chance to erase Biazon’s margin of around 10,000.

Biazon was proclaimed by the Comelec after what was initially thought of as the last uncanvassed votes from Cotabato City were tallied. Overall, Biazon received a total of 10,635,270 votes against Barbers’ 10,624,585 votes.

Both senators ran for re-election under the administration banner in the May 10 national polls.

Biazon, however, insisted that it was already impossible to overturn the results of the elections even if all the remaining 29,000 votes are counted.

In Biazon’s answer to the petition during last Wednesday’s hearing, he said that results in the 10 towns showed him still winning over Barbers by 4,060 votes even if they would concede to discrepancies in the election records in favor of the latter. The Comelec first division earlier agreed that it will consider more the actual number of votes rather than the total number of registered of voters.

According to Borra, the poll body will study the statistical figures to be provided by both camps and decide on the case as soon as possible.

The first division is expected to come out with a ruling not later than June 30. Newly elected officials are expected to take office by July 1.