Electoral protest vs guv gets poll body's nod

Sunday, May 29, 2011

DAGUPAN CITY – The Commission on Election approved the electoral protest filed last year by losing gubernatorial candidate Victor Aguedo Agbayani against Governor Amado Espino Jr.

“Agbayani has all the right to file an electoral protest for not having won the gubernatorial race, but this move is just a waste of time,” Espino said.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

The Second Division of the Comelec ordered the Provincial Elections Office the retrieval of 20 percent of the more than 2,000 clustered precincts under protest.

Provincial Election Supervisor Timmy Lambino said, as ordered, 199 priority ballot boxes will be retrieved on June from the custody of 34 municipal and city treasurers all over the province.

Upon receipt of the order last week, Lambino immediately called for a hearing at his office attended by the legal counsels of Espino, representatives of Agbayani and the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office led by Deputy Provincial Director for Administration Paquito Navarette.

On June 1, Lambino reiterated, all the priority ballot boxes to be retrieved will be sealed by duly assigned election personnel at the presence of the concern treasurers, election officers and the representatives of Agbayani and Espino.

On June 2, all these ballot boxes will be gathered and will be loaded to the 10 10-wheeler trucks duly commissioned to transport these from Pangasinan to the Comelec main office. On June 3 at 7 a.m., the trucks will leave Pangasinan to be escorted by police mobile patrol cars, Lambino said.

The per diems of all the personnel directly involved in the process, including incidental expenses like gasoline, foods, and accommodation will be shouldered by the protestant (Agbayani), he added.

Manual counting will be done on the ballots from the 199 retrieved priority ballot boxes.

Lambino explained that if the result of the recount will give the former governor significant gains against Espino, the Comelec second division will again issue an order to the Provincial Elections Office for the retrieval of all the remaining ballot boxes in the custody of the municipal and city treasurers.

In his first term, Espino won against Agbayani’s wife, Jamie. In his reelection bid last 2010, Espino won against Agbayani with a staggering margin of 532,000 votes.

Ruel Camba, the provincial information officer when Agbayani was governor and his official representative and spokesperson in this undertaking, said the former governor wanted to know or establish the real sentiment of the people in the last elections.

“Naniniwala ako na talagang nanalo ako sa isang malinis at maayos na eleksyon,” Espino said.