Mary Grace Sapungay
Ballots Retrieval
Monday, February 20,2012- the Taguig City Hall was very secured by the alliance of Mayor Lani Cayatano due to the scheduled retrieval of ballot boxes that was filled by the former associate justice and defeated mayoral candidate Dante Tinga. She made her last-ditch effort to stop the said retrieval as she asked the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to clarify some issues regarding the poll protest.
She reiterated her demands for inventory and technical examination of the Compact Flash (CF) cards used in the Precinct Court Optical Scan during the 2010 mayoral elections as was stated on her Extremely Urgent Motion for Clarification. She claimed that the COMELEC was failed to resolve the issue.
In February 15 resolution, the Comelec First Division which includes Commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Armando Velasco and Christian Robert Lim scheduled the recount of ballotsfrom February 20 to 23.
“This should be postponed until certain things are clarified by the poll body. The poll body should clarify if the ballot boxes will beused for recount or revision because these two are different things noting that a revision would give them a chance to scrutinize every ballot presented while a recount would mean a recounting of the votes cast during the election.” city government spokesman Dawin Icay said. He also noted that under the Comelec rules, CF cards should be used in the counting of votes and not the ballots. According to Icay, “we urge the Comelec to have an inventory of CF cards that is based on the poll body’s rules of procedure, it is only appropriate that the CF cards will be used as basis if there are questions in the counting of votes and not the ballots. He clarified that they would turn over the contested ballots to the Comolec provided that they give them a proof of their authority to retrieve the ballots.
In a phone interview, Tinga said that Cayetano’s pleading was frivolous and it was only an attempt to derailthe process. “what was to be enforced is a legitimate order of a constitutional body whose mandate is to see to it that 2010 elections was clean and the real winners should be proclaimed. He also noted that the Comelec would no longer accept related pleadings because it already declared that the retrieval of ballots are closed.
He said that that they were saddened by the sudden turn of events. The Comelc were thwarted when they came to collect the ballots on Monday morning. They were not able to retrieve the ballots because they were prevented from going into the city hall.
Otherwise, Icay noted that until 5p.m.on Monday, no one from the Comelec came to enforce its order.
Ballots Retrieval
Monday, February 20,2012- the Taguig City Hall was very secured by the alliance of Mayor Lani Cayatano due to the scheduled retrieval of ballot boxes that was filled by the former associate justice and defeated mayoral candidate Dante Tinga. She made her last-ditch effort to stop the said retrieval as she asked the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to clarify some issues regarding the poll protest.
She reiterated her demands for inventory and technical examination of the Compact Flash (CF) cards used in the Precinct Court Optical Scan during the 2010 mayoral elections as was stated on her Extremely Urgent Motion for Clarification. She claimed that the COMELEC was failed to resolve the issue.
In February 15 resolution, the Comelec First Division which includes Commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Armando Velasco and Christian Robert Lim scheduled the recount of ballotsfrom February 20 to 23.
“This should be postponed until certain things are clarified by the poll body. The poll body should clarify if the ballot boxes will beused for recount or revision because these two are different things noting that a revision would give them a chance to scrutinize every ballot presented while a recount would mean a recounting of the votes cast during the election.” city government spokesman Dawin Icay said. He also noted that under the Comelec rules, CF cards should be used in the counting of votes and not the ballots. According to Icay, “we urge the Comelec to have an inventory of CF cards that is based on the poll body’s rules of procedure, it is only appropriate that the CF cards will be used as basis if there are questions in the counting of votes and not the ballots. He clarified that they would turn over the contested ballots to the Comolec provided that they give them a proof of their authority to retrieve the ballots.
In a phone interview, Tinga said that Cayetano’s pleading was frivolous and it was only an attempt to derailthe process. “what was to be enforced is a legitimate order of a constitutional body whose mandate is to see to it that 2010 elections was clean and the real winners should be proclaimed. He also noted that the Comelec would no longer accept related pleadings because it already declared that the retrieval of ballots are closed.
He said that that they were saddened by the sudden turn of events. The Comelc were thwarted when they came to collect the ballots on Monday morning. They were not able to retrieve the ballots because they were prevented from going into the city hall.
Otherwise, Icay noted that until 5p.m.on Monday, no one from the Comelec came to enforce its order.