Tuesday, February 06, 2007 Cuenco accepts lie detector dare
CEBU City Rep. Antonio Cuenco yesterday unveiled a new campaign slogan that takes a dig at the reported huge campaign chest of his rival: “Kwarta ni Atan coprason ra natong tanan (Just take Atan’s money).”
Cuenco accused former sports commissioner Jonathan “Atan” Guardo of giving barangay leaders money and promising P300 for each voter in the May elections.
Cuenco said Calamba Barangay Chief Ester Concha and her councilors also informed him that a drug lord, an ex-convict known in their barangay, has been “splashing out money in the south district.”
“Money is raining from this drug lord. I cannot name this guy yet because I’m still confirming this with PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency). It’s obvious that money is being splashed around. That’s atrocious. I don’t even know if his money will last until the elections. That’s his only qualification,” Cuenco said.
The congressman earlier claimed that at least three drug lords are financing Guardo’s campaign.
In response, Guardo said he is willing to undergo a polygraph test so the public will know who is lying. He also challenged Cuenco to do the same.
Acceptance
Yesterday, Cuenco accepted the challenge: “Right away! As soon as possible, I hope the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) could make arrangements right away. My conscience is clear.”
Cuenco said he believes that voters in the south district “will merely accept Guardo’s money and will never vote for him.”
“I believe in the wisdom and integrity of the south district voters. This practice has been done in the past so many times, even before the Martial Law. But the corruptor has not emerged victorious. My other slogan is, ‘the south district is not for sale,’” Cuenco said.
Cuenco said he also received reports that Guardo promised to give P3,000 each to his canvassers and leaders in the district. He warned that he is gathering affidavits from those who allegedly received money from Guardo.
“He is buying votes and it is a criminal offense. The penalty is perpetual disqualification to hold public office. I am confident that kwarta ni Atan coprason ra natong tanan,” the congressman said.
“He may have succeeded in Surigao but I bet he will not succeed here. He will be grossly disappointed. He will be devastated,” he said.
Not doing job
Guardo, in a separate interview, scoffed at the allegations saying that he is not committing any election offense. He said he has even yet to file his certificate of candidacy.
Guardo said considering that he is “a probable candidate, it is just normal that a lot of people would come to me and solicit funds.”
“The youth in the barangays solicit funds for their sports activities and nightly discos. They already knew that I will be running. But this is supposed to be Cuenco’s job and he is not doing it,” Guardo said. (GAC)
