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Saturday, May 19, 2007
Lapu-Lapu mayor survives lamps scandal
CEBU CITY -- Suspended Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza survived his getting linked to allegations of overpricing in the purchase of decorative lamps.
When the Board of Canvassers completed their tabulation past 3 p.m. Friday, Radaza led by 14,580 votes against his rival Norma Patalinjug, who has been acting as mayor since Radaza’s preventive suspension began last April.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
His reelection will absolve Radaza of whatever administrative liabilities he may have over the P365-million purchase of allegedly overpriced lamps, which the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is investigating.
But Radaza’s proclamation, initially expected Friday night, was delayed.
City Election Officer Ann Janette Hu-Lamban said they were just preparing the ballot boxes to be sent to the Capitol for the canvassing of results in the congressional and provincial races.
But an officer close to the board, who requested anonymity, confided that the canvassers were waiting for an authority from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila for them to go ahead with the proclamation.
By 6 p.m., party watchers and media workers were ushered out of the canvassing area as six trained dogs searched the session hall.
Earlier in the day, Patalinjug’s lawyer, Romeo Igot, filed a petition not to include 157 election returns (ER) in the canvassing of votes.
He suspects these were “fabricated, falsified and tampered.”
Lamban denied Igot’s petition, but he has 48 hours to appeal his petition before the Comelec.
Lamban said the canvassing had to go on Friday, adding that the petition was merely a way to delay the proceedings.
At the canvassing last Wednesday night, another lawyer of Patalinjug, Rex Fernandez, nearly had a confrontation with lawyer Richard Sison, but cooler heads intervened.
Shortly before lunch Friday, Igot filed his petition to exclude all 157 ERs.
Vicente Roco, another Patalinhug lawyer, explained to Sun.Star Cebu that they noted a pattern in these contested ERs because in areas where Patalinjug was expected to get the majority of votes, her score fell way below Radaza’s.
Roco added that signatures in these contested ERs are mostly the same, as if only one or two persons signed them all. (OCP of Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (May 19, 2007 issue)
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Discrepancies noted in vote result forms