Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Koko wants recount By Lizanilla J. Amarga
SENATORIAL candidate Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, a Cagayan de Oro resident, is now asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to re-tabulate 10 towns in different provinces in Mindanao.
This particularly where the election documents were falsified, enabling Team Unity bet Juan Miguel Zubiri to obtain from 87 percent to 92 percent of the votes cast, which is "statistically improbable."
"We have discovered wholesale cheating in 10 towns in different Mindanao provinces to favor Zubiri," he said.
Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro failed to contact Zubiri or his father reelected Bukidnon Governor Jose Ma. Zubiri for their comment as of this writing Monday.
But sources said the Zubiris will respect whatever decision the poll body will hold on Pimentel's petition for re-tabulation.
A strong supporter who requested anonymity for personal reasons said, "But in time, the truth will prevail and the truth is that the 12th senator is our very own Bukidnon congressman Miguel Zubiri."
Pimentel, the son of former Cagayan de Oro city mayor now Senator Nene Pimentel Jr., said the Comelec acting as the National Board of Canvassers should act on his motions for the re-tabulation of votes.
He said this as they have documentary evidence that would show that election results were manufactured not only in Maguindanao, but also in other provinces.
This to further "bloat the number of votes for Zubiri so that he could overtake him (Pimentel) in the race for the 12 senatorial slot."
Pimentel earlier pushed a new petition with the Supreme Court to compel the Comelec to re-tabulate the senatorial votes in Maguindanao.
The petition was filed after Comelec shot down the repeated objections of Pimentel's lawyers to the authenticity and validity of the Maguindanao results.
The towns that are subjects of Pimentel's motions for re-computation to correct the fraudulent entries are: Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Salvador and Matungao in Lanao del Norte. Also, Sultan Kudarat, Datu Blah Sinsuat and Kabuntalan in Shariff Kabunsuan; Lutayan and Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat; and Patikul and Luuk in Sulu.
