Tiñga to ask Comelec to declare failure of elections in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of Taguig mayoral candidate Rica Tiñga said yesterday they will file before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) a petition to declare a failure of elections in the city over alleged massive cheating.

In a statement, district two Councilor Chechen Gonzalez, speaking for Tiñga’s Kilusang Diwa ng Taguig (KDT) party, said they have evidence to prove that the camp of re-electionist Mayor Lani Cayetano, allegedly conniving with the board of election inspectors, distributed to voters “unauthorized but genuine ballots” which have been already pre-shaded. These ballots were accepted and read by the PCOS machines, Gonzalez said.

“I never imagined it could be done… What the Cayetanos employed was massive, wholesale and systematic cheating using pre-shaded official ballots. This is alarming and we feel the Comelec should take this seriously,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said they have gathered statements from witnesses saying that inspectors reportedly handed them official ballots that had the ovals beside the names of Cayetano and all her partymates already shaded.

“The election result in Taguig is just unbelievable. How many pre-shaded ballots did they distribute in various precincts? We were wiped out,” the councilor said.

Speaking for Cayetano, Nacionalista Party-Taguig legal counsel Lyle Nino Pasco said Tiñga’s camp has been feeding journalists false information in order to lay down the basis for the delay of the proclamation of the winners in the local polls and make people doubt the results.

“It is another desperate attempt to derail the imminent victory of Mayor Lani as she is poised to overcome her rival by a mile. So Rica Tiñga is moving heaven and earth to prevent this by engaging in dirty tactics and questionable strategies,” Pasco said.

The lawyer said Tiñga propagated the existence of these so-called pre-shaded ballots because the precincts where these ballots were found are located in the barangay of their ally, congressional candidate Henry Dueñas.

Meanwhile, Pasco said Cayetano has expressed concern over the possible consequence of the statements of Tiñga’s camp, saying their actions have in effect tarnished the image of Taguig City as a new financial capital or business district.