‘Kontra Recount’ protests over Pineda declaration

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Members of the Kapampangan Kontra Recount (K2R) held Wednesday a protest anew on the declaration of former board member Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda as winner of the 2007 gubernatorial contest.

The K2R had just come fresh from a vigil last week where some 200 black-clad members led by Eddie “Among Ed” Panlilio held a "silent protest" at the Comelec, the Arroyo administration and the Provincial Board which they branded as "dark forces" with "devious leaders."

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The Comelec in a ruling last week declared Pineda as the rightful winner of the 2007 political race in the province.

In the recount, Pineda won by 2,011 votes over incumbent Governor Panlilio.

K2R spokesperson Arnel Manliclic said the group has now turned its ire on the Comelec provincial office here.

“In declaring Lilia Pineda the winner in the 2007 contest, the Comelec second division failed to honestly perform its mandate. In so doing, it did not respect the facts. In fact, it bastardized the truth and appropriated the truth to Pineda. What is at stake in this shameless disregard for the rule of law and truth is not Among Ed but us voters who in 2007 used our votes to reject Mark Lapid and Pineda. That victory to reject bad candidates and to assert good governance is robbed from us,” said Manliclic.

“Worst, the Comelec is even telling us that we cheated and that Pineda didn’t. No person in his or her right mind will believe that a priest, with no money or machinery, can cheat,” added Manliclic.

“Inonse na ng Comelec si Among Ed. Inonse pa nila tayong mga botante,” he said, taking a dig at the date of the promulgation, February 11. "From the start, we have said that Among Ed faced a sham recount case because the complaint was an exact replica of a complaint in Batangas, the ballot boxes have been in the custody of Pineda's allies for over one year and the second division (of the Comelec) junked Among Ed's motion after another.

During the protest, the group pelted with tomatoes the tarpaulins of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer, and Lilia Pineda.

’Offensive defense’

But Comelec second division presiding officer clarified Tuesday that the ballots revision was done accordingly and that nowhere in Pineda's petition could they find charges or allegations of cheating.

Malacañang similarly reacted swiftly to the accusations of the Panlilio camp, stressing it never had a hand on the decision of the Comelec and the alleged "speeding up" of the recount decision and promulgation.

Even Pineda, who has calmly accepted the "psychological victory" and has remained "unprovoked" despite attacks on her, has said she never "mentioned any acts of cheating of Panlilio" in her petition.

She has since advised Panlilio not to link President Arroyo and the Comelec on the ruling as she said "the battle was hers" and that the defeated governor could always fight for his rights.

Other sectors have assailed the K2R and the Panlilio camp for branding the legal process as "notorious" in nature, conducted by "dark and evil forces" who connived to bring Pineda back to the Capitol.

A source from the Pineda camp, who preferred not to be named, told Sun.Star Pampanga the K2R and Panlilio have been playing "offensive defense" to draw attention to their plight.

"They seem to be provoking us and authorities on this and are exerting all efforts to win the sympathy of the Kapampangans. We should actually be on the offensive but we will never be provoked by such insanities. They claim to be religious well in fact they have been hurling stones and tomatoes at us. Why don't they just wait for the legal process to move on?” the source said.

Sore loser?

The source added that while the Pineda camp has kept mum and "cool" on the issue, he said Panlilio "seems to have become a sore loser" and that his supporters are just playing a loser's game."

"All the governor's statements are contrary to what he said before that he will give way peacefully according to due process," said the source.

But Panlilio said it was not about him but for the sake of the Kapampangans and the crusade for good governance.

"It is not about me but for the good of the people of Pampanga that we are carrying on and fighting for good governance. We will move ahead with the crusade and let justice prevail," he said.