Wednesday, May 23, 2007 'People power' drags on to 2nd day in Digos By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE so-called “people power” by Davao del Sur Representative Douglas Ra Cagas went on its second day Tuesday, with nothing much happening except for people milling around the Provincial Capitol.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Cagas said he and his supporters will continue barricading the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office at the Capitol to prevent the election returns of Malita from being counted by the provincial canvassers.
The lawmaker said he was cheated by his opponent, Representative Claude Bautista in Malita. Cagas claimed there was vote-shaving in favor of Bautista.
Malita is the bailiwick of the Bautistas and is the second biggest municipality in the province.
Cagas said he was enjoying a 12,993 margin over Bautista for a total of 156,002 votes province-wide as against Bautista's 143,009.
But he added a "dagdag-bawas" in Malita padded some 15,000 votes in favor of Bautista, and thus his opponent is set to win the election by some 2,000-vote margin.
"Magpadayon ang people power sa kapitolyo kay wala pa man ta maproklamar. Mahimong magpadayon ang tikas aron mapildi ta kay dili madawat sa mga Bautista ang kapildihan ni Claude (The 'people power' at the capitol will continue since we have not been proclaimed yet. Cheating could continue because the Bautistas cannot accept Claude's defeat)," Cagas said.
Cagas called on his supporters Monday to barricade the Davao del Sur provincial capitol and prevent the submission of the election returns from the Municipality of Malita.
Police personnel were already in the area to enforce order.
Authorities say they will employ maximum tolerance against the Cagas’s supporters for as long as they would not create trouble.
Cagas earlier vowed bloodshed if Comelec officials would allow cheating in their province.
