Pampanga ballot boxes to be brought to Comelec

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – Police teams in each of this province’s 20 towns and one city will escort today from their respective areas 4,688 ballot boxes containing votes cast in the 2007 elections for transport to the Commission on Elections’ central office in Manila tomorrow for the gubernatorial recount.

Comelec provincial supervisor Temmie Lambino said he received instructions from the Comelec central office last Saturday to move “within five days” the ballot boxes to Manila for the “revision” or recount of votes, as petitioned by former provincial board member Lilia Pineda.

Pineda, known to be a close friend of President Arroyo, alleged vote-buying and other anomalies in the 2007 gubernatorial race where she lost to Gov. Eddie Panlilio by 1,147 votes.

The transport of the ballot boxes came in the wake of the Supreme Court (SC) decision last July 28 junking Panlilio’s motion for reconsideration against the vote recount.

Last July 17, the SC issued its initial 14-page resolution lifting its temporary restraining order against the recount, which the Comelec’s second division ordered last year.

Lambino said the ballot boxes have been under the safekeeping of the treasurer’s offices of the 20 towns and the City of San Fernando.

Lambino said he has met with representatives of Panlilio and Pineda about the transport of the ballot boxes.

“Both parties may send their own representatives to monitor the transport process, but only if they want to,” he said.

“My jurisdiction covers only the transport. After that, the ball would be in the hands of the Comelec central office,” he added.

Panlilio’s supporters in Barangay Betis, Guagua town, where he served as parish priest before he was suspended by Church authorities when he decided to run for governor, held a rally the other day to protest the SC verdict.

For his part, Panlilio, in a text message to The STAR, said, “I could not understand how the Supreme Court could go with the petition (of Pineda) that is based on improbability.”

“Paano makakabili ng boto ang walang pera? Paano madadaya ng walang pera ang may pera? Ng walang political machinery ang mayroon? (How can one buy votes if he has no money? How can one without money cheat one who is moneyed? One who has no political machinery as against one who has?)” he asked.

In its 14-page decision last July 17, the SC ruled that Panlilio’s petition questioning the Comelec’s decision, which allowed the recount and ordered the collection of the ballot boxes, lacked merit.

The SC said there was no grave abuse of discretion on the Comelec’s part in ordering the recount simply because the poll body has the authority to do so.

Panlilio’s volunteer legal counsel, Romulo Macalintal, earlier said the SC rendered a “pro-rich” decision on Pineda’s electoral protest.

Still, Macalintal said he remains convinced that there is no more time to resolve the election protest as the recount will be overtaken by the preparations for next year’s elections.

“The Comelec should admit it has no time to resolve the protest before the 2010 polls considering it is now busy preparing for the elections. It should not give the parties and people false hopes,” he said.