Sunday, May 13, 2007 We won’t cheat, Palace assures foes
EXECUTIVE Secretary Eduardo Ermita on Saturday assured the public that the administration would not resort to any fraudulent activity just to ensure the victory of its candidates led by the Team Unity (TU) senatorial bets.
Ermita dismissed allegations that the votes cast by soldiers during the May 2 to 4 absentee voting had been tampered with in favor of the TU candidates, adding that it is part of the opposition’s political strategy.
He said such allegation from the opposition is normal and even expected.
Ermita said the people should not believe them as they respect and would accept the will of the people.
Chief presidential legal counsel and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) spokesman Sergio Apostol, for his part, said accusations of cheating leveled by the opposition is just part of the active imagination of some administration critics.
Apostol said the Genuine Opposition (GO) would have their elections watchers so it would be difficult for the administration to resort to cheating.
He added that the opposition is just trying to condition the minds of the public that if TU bets win and they lose it is because the administration cheated.
Apostol denied that the administration has released funds for vote-buying, especially in Mindanao.
He said the administration does not need to resort to vote-buying, especially in the provinces “because we have a strong machinery and strong support from local government leaders.” (JMR/Sunnex)
