ShareThisMalacanang says it’s vote of confidence for Aquino gov’t
MANILA (PilipinasNews) – Former Censors chief Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, daughter of the late Movie King Fernando Poe Jr. and top star Susan Roces, surprised political pundits as she topped the incomplete unofficial and official canvassing of votes for 12 senators in Monday’s midterm elections.
Ms. Llamanzares, a reluctant candidate, was an official candidate of the administration’s Team Pnoy but was also carried by the party of her godfather and late father’s best friend, former President Joseph Estrada, who trounced Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim in a hotly contested race.
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Malacanang described the victory as a vote of confidence for President Benigno S. Aquino III and his “matuwid na daan” campaign and fight against graft and corruption.
At press time, only three candidates of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) were possible winners in the Senate race, namely, Nancy Binay, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay; former congresswoman Cynthia Villar, wife of outgoing Senator Manny Villar Jr., and reelectionist Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.
Trailing on the 13th, 14th and 15th places who could still spring a surprise with over 10 million more votes to be counted are former Senator Richard Gordon, former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri and outgoing Congressman Juan Ponce Enrile Jr., all of UNA.
The Comelec had announced earlier that it was to proclaim the 12 winning senators by Wednesday night, but delays in the transmission of vote results in many cities and provinces involving 10 million votes forced the agency to reschedule the proclamation to a still unannounced date.
The delays in the canvassing of voters triggered suspicions from UNA, election observers and voters that the election results maybe being “manipulated” to favor more administration candidates, which Comelec vehemently denied.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes allayed fears that the delays in the canvassing and proclamation would allow the manipulation of election results.
“I can give 110 percent assurance that there will be no (manipulation) here. But we only want to give assurance to those that are in doubt,” he said.
But for UNA, an admission by a Smartmatic technical expert identified as Daton Cerino that he had “advertently deleted” some Comelec transparency files may indicate that irregularities may have taken place.
“Our IT experts were surprised why while the files being transmitted from various polling precincts in the country are getting bigger, the files that we are receiving are getting smaller. When they checked from Cerino, he admitted that he advertently deleted some files while making maintenance work,” congressman-elect and UNA spokesperson
Toby Tiangco said.
Tiangco said Cerino did not even inform the political parties, including UNA, about the maintenance that he had performed.
“The Comelec must explain why Cerino was allowed to do such maintenance work where he had advertently deleted some files from the transparency server. The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the Comelec’s Board of Canvassers, the municipal board of canvassers, the dominant minority and the dominant majority are getting their files from the transparency server,” Tiangco said
Tiangco said the Comelec was faster in counting the votes in 2010 and was able to immediately proclaim the winners in the presidential race and the senatorial elections, but only 68.19 percent of election returns have so far been transmitted 21 hours after the poll precincts closed at 7 p.m. on May 13.
“So I think what Comelec has to do is to at least give an update on why medyo mas mabagal tayo this time. Normally, when it’s done the second time, it should have been faster. So why did it all suddenly slowed?” Tiangco said.
While Team Pnoy’s senatorial candidates were winning nine of the 12 senatorial slots, his Team Pnoy and Liberal Party, suffered setbacks in Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Caloocan, San Juan, Navotas, Angeles City, Baguio City and in vote-rich provinces like Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Bataan, Zambales, Cagayan, Quezon and La Union, among others.
Aquino’s team also won big as first-timers lawyer Leni Robrero, widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo won her congressional and actor Aga Muhlach was leading in the fourth district of Camarines Sur with Paranaque mayor-elect Edwin Olivares and Quezon City mayor-elect Herbert Bautista and reelectionist Congressman Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and his team of six congressmen have been proclaimed.
Based on the 36 transmitted certificates of canvass (COC) to the Comelec acting as National Board of Canvassers, Grace Poe placed first with 3,440,764 votes.
Poe’s teammates Senators Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero still followed at second and third places, respectively.
Legarda got 3,103,432 votes while Escudero had 3,023,792 votes.
Re-electionist Senator Alan Cayetano, also from Team PNoy, clinched the fourth spot with 2,954,461 votes.
Another candidate from the administration ticket, Rep. Juan Edgardo Sonny Angara, completed the top five with 2,803,181 votes.
UNA candidate Richard Gordon, meanwhile, entered the “Magic 12” in the official count. Gordon ranked 10th with 2,441,159 votes.
In the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting’s (PPCRV) unofficial canvass based on votes from 54,170 clustered precincts, Gordon ranked 13th with 9,124,239 votes.
The other UNA candidates in the official results’ top 12 were Nancy Binay, ranked sixth with 2,724,274 votes; JV Ejercito, ranked ninth with 2,485,370 votes and Gringo Honasan, ranked 12th with 2,339,377 votes.
Team PNoy candidates also in the top 12 were Koko Pimentel at seventh with 2,626,465 votes; Bam Aquino, ranked eighth with 2,532,438 votes; and Antonio Trillanes ranked 11th with 2,440,836 votes.
Brillantes said 25 countries with Filipino communities had registered zero votes in Monday’s elections.
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Brillantes said out of the 301 COCs, a total of 196 came from overseas absentee voting (OAV).
Brillantes said that based on official results from 36 canvassed COCs Poe was leading with 3,440,764 votes followed by Sens. Legarda and Escudero with 3,103,432 and 3,023,792 votes in second and third spots, respectively.
Sen. Cayetano was in fourth with 2,954,461 votes while Angara has 2,803,181 votes in fifth place followed by Nancy Binay with 2,724,274 votes and Aquilino Koko Pimentel with 2,262,445 votes.
Completing the top 15 senatorial candidates are Benigno Bam Aquino IV with 2,532,348 votes, Joseph Victor Ejercito (2,485,370), Richard Gordon (2,441,159), Antonio Trillanes (2,440,836), Gringo Honasan (2,339,937), Cynthia Villar (2,327,985), Juan Miguel Zubiri (2,023,140) and Ramon Magsaysay (2,015,370).
Grace Poe, who admitted she never dreamed of landing as number one senator, thanked the voters for their support.
Other winners from the opposition in the local race were reelectionist Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay, Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos, Caloocan’s Mayor Oscar Malapitan, San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez, Mayor John Rey Tiangco and Rep. Toby Tiangco of Navotas City, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, and Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan.
Other winning oppositionists were Cavite Governor Juan Victor Remulla, Laguna Governor ER Ejercito, Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr., Governor Rodolfo Antonio of Cagayan, Alberto Garcia of Bataan, and Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. of Zambales.
Big winners from the administration included Batangas Governor Vilma Santos Recto, Tarlac Governor Victor Yap, Bulacan Governor Wilfredo Alvarado (unopposed) Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali (unopposed), Albay Governor Jose Salceda (unopposed), Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos (unopposed) and Nueva Ecija Govenror Oyie Antonio and comebacking mayor Jaime Fresnedi and reelectionist Congressman Rodolfo Biazon of Muntinlupa City.
World boxing icon and reelectionist Congressman Manny Pacquiao ran unopposed while his wife Jinkee was leading the vice gubernatorial race in Sarangani.
Other big winners in Metro Manila were Rep. Trishia Bonoan-David (NUP) of the fourth district of Manila; Rep. Marcy Teodoro (LP) of Marikina City; Mayor Antolin Oreta (LP) and Rep. Jaye Lacson-Noel of Malabaon City; and Quezon City congressional candidate Kit Belmonte (LP) who had no opponents.
Actually, 52 local candidates ran unopposed all over the country. Of these, 12 ran for gubernatorial posts, 25 ranfor congressional seats and 15 ran for mayor in cities.
Other unopposed candidates were Leyte Governor Dominico Petilla (LP), Zamboanga Sibugay Governor Antonio Cerilles, Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy (LP), Cora Manyaaon (Governor), Davao Oriental; Steve Una (Governor), Sarangani; and Ma. Angelica Amante-Matba (Governor), Agusan del Norte.
Meanwhile, former congressman and incumbent Palawan Gov. Abraham “Baham” Mitra has lost the gubernatorial post to billionaire businessman, logger and car-bus dealer Jose “Pepito” Alvarez.
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Alvarez is a brother of outgoing first district Rep. Antonio Alvarez, whose son Chicoy is replacing him.
In Puerto Princesa City, Ellen Hagedorn, wife of incumbent mayor and losing independent senatorial candidate Edward Hagedorn, lost the mayoral race to Lucilo Baylon.
In Mindoro Occidental, Rep. Amelita Villarosa, a staunch ally of former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is losing the gubernatorial race to Mario Mendiola of the Liberal Party (LP).
Rep. Eleandro Madrona won re-election in Romblon, while in Marinduque, the Commission on Elections website showed that Gina Reyes (LP) was leading incumbent Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, son of Supreme Court Justice Presbitero Velasco.
In Albay, Edcel Lagman Jr. was elected representative of the first district. His father, outgoing Rep. Edcel Lagman, said his son would continue his reproductive health advocacy and human rights and pro-people agenda.