Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tining files protest against Salimbangon
THE camp of defeated fourth congressional bet Celestino “Tining” Marti-nez III has filed an election protest against Benhur Salimbangon before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).
They want the ballots that bear the name “Martinez” and/or “C. Martinez,” which were considered stray, counted in favor of their man.
In the last elections, another Martinez, Edelito, a “habal-habal” driver, ran in the race only to be later declared a nuisance candidate on June 12, or almost a month after the elections on May 14.
Tining’s camp described Edelito’s candidacy as “as a wicked and desperate scheme to derail (his) candidacy.”
They said this deprived Tining of “valid genuine votes cast in his favor.”
Since Edelito was declared a nuisance, they want all the votes cast for “Martinez” and “C. Martinez” counted as valid votes in Tining’s favor.
“All towns”
The Martinezes are questioning the results of all the municipalities of the district: Bantayan (163 precincts), Bogo (196 precincts), Daanbantayan (185 precincts), Madride-jos: (91 precincts), Medel-lin (106 clustered precincts), San Remigio (139 clustered precincts), Santa Fe (82 clustered precincts), Tabogon (106 clustered precincts) and Tabuelan (104 precincts).
The ballots from these precincts are being protested on the grounds that somebody else prepared these ballots, which were counted in Salimbangon’s favor.
Tining’s camp also stated that the votes reflected in the election returns (ERs) were unlawfully increased in favor of Salimbangon, while votes for Tining were unlawfully decreased in several protested precincts.
Tining’s camp, in its protest, also said there were “various electoral frauds and anomalies consisting of rampant vote-buying, violence, intimidation upon voters and the members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), as well as rampant violations of election laws, rules and resolution issued by the Commission on Elections (Comelec)” perpetrated by
Salimbangon’s camp.
They also accused that there was “misreading, miscounting and misappreciation of ballots” and failure of the BEI to credit the ballots with the name “Martinez” and/or “C. Martinez” to Tining.
In this connection, the HRET has sent a telegram to all municipal treasurers of the towns and city of the fourth district to “preserve, secure and prepare for collection” by HRET personnel the involved ballot boxes and their keys.
Tining is also praying for the invalidation and deduction from Salimbangon’s votes the “invalid and illegal ballots/votes from the total votes credited to (him) in the election returns, invalidating and annulling the ballots cast by persons other than the registered voters and other irregularly prepared/cast ballots as well as invalidating ballots cast as a result of substitution of voters....”
Last July 9, the Comelec in Manila proclaimed Salimbangon as winner with a margin of 104 votes.
The canvassing of the last 15 ERs from Bogo City was moved to Manila after the special board of canvassers questioned the authenticity of the ERs.
The Comelec second division had declared the ERs “spurious and manufactured” and the copy of the Cebu-Citizens’ Involvement and Maturation in People’s Empowerment and Liberation was used in the canvassing. (MBG)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 31, 2007 issue)
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