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Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Poll official says Arroyo slated for victory
MANILA -- President Arroyo is on course to win the presidential election by nearly a million votes over her closest rival, film star Fernando Poe, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said Monday.
This, as both administration and opposition senators agreed Monday to bring the debate on the proposed canvassing rules for president and vice president in a joint session with the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Senate President Franklin Drilon said in an interview that he expects Congress to finish the canvassing of the results in the presidential and vice presidential elections by mid-June.
Exit polls and unofficial tally point to President Arroyo winning a fresh six-year term.
Also, although Congress is tasked with the counting of votes for the country's two highest posts, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. said in a press conference that he conducted a count of his own based on official election returns and that Arroyo was leading with more or less a million votes over Poe, of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).
Comelec is in charge of proclaiming the winners for legislative and local government seats, but the Constitution assigns Congress with the task of declaring the presidential and vice presidential contests.
There have been concerns that a delay would plunge the country into a constitutional crisis because Arroyo's term ends on June 30.
Poe spokesman Mike Romero, a member of the House of Representatives, accused Arroyo of pre-empting the official canvassing and said they would file a complaint.
"That is a violation of the constitution. Only the joint Congress under the constitution can proclaim the winners of presidential and vice presidential race," Romero said.
"They have no business proclaiming that. They are intruding into the power of Congress. This should be taken up by the members of the House and the Senate at the proper time because this is a violation of the law."
Romero said this only bolstered allegations by the Poe camp that there was massive fraud during the polls. Poe last week claimed Arroyo had robbed him of victory through fraud and his supporters have warned of massive protests.
On Sunday, however, the actor who left school at 15 and whose candidacy spooked the financial markets said he would abide by the results of the canvassing even as he stressed he would not concede to Arroyo.
House of Representatives Speaker Jose De Venecia said the House and the Senate have approved a joint resolution naming a 14-man committee to spearhead the count beginning Tuesday.
Opposition congressman, however, said they planned to object to the creation of the committee to facilitate the canvassing.
De Venecia said lawyers for the opposition as well as the Arroyo camp have been invited to attend the sessions for transparency.
"We approved overwhelmingly the concurrent resolution of the House and of the Senate calling for a joint session of tomorrow (Tuesday) to canvass the presidential and vice presidential results in order that we can comply with our constitutional duty...and proclaim the president and new vice president of the Philippines," he added.
Sen. Edgardo Angara, who met with Drilon and other administration lawmakers, suggested that the debate on the canvassing rules be done in a joint session as mandated by the Constitution.
Drilon said the canvassing would start the moment the rules are adopted.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., on the other hand, believes the administration's proposal for a joint Congressional committee to do the canvassing violates the Constitution, a sentiment shared by Rep. Constantino Jaraula.
Jaralula said the determination of the authenticity of the certificates of canvass (COCs) should be done in plenary.
He also said if ever a joint committee is approved, it should only be given limited powers and function.
(May 25, 2004 issue)
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