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Thursday, May 31, 2007
Mike Defensor of Team Unity concedes
MANILA -- Administration candidate Michael Defensor conceded Wednesday, saying that despite the 8,986,035 votes he had so far, it was “numerically impossible” for him to gain one of the 12 Senate seats up for grabs.
Both the Commission on Elections (Comelec) tally and an unofficial count by the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) continued to list him in 15th place.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
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In a press conference, Defensor said that although the final outcome of the elections has yet to be determined, an in-house count shows he will end up in the 13th to 15th spots.
By conceding, he hoped to ease the tension and dismiss ideas that there are illegal activities being done to ensure his victory. He said he also wanted to teach his children that “there is honor in defeat."
Defensor is the second senatorial candidate to accept defeat, next to his Team Unity party mate Luis “Chavit" Singson.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he was surprised to learn that Defensor has conceded.
Presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio said the former presidential chief of staff merely showed that “he is a good sport by accepting his defeat gracefully.”
Claudio added: “He fought a good fight and would have done the administration, his family and supporters and the whole nation proud as a senator of our republic. But I guess the fates have a different sense of timing and scenario for him. His candidacy had added luster, substance and excitement to the last elections.”
Team Unity spokesman and Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano, for his part, said as far as the administration candidates are concerned, they will just “heed the will of the voters.”
United Opposition (UNO) chairman and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay Jr. called on other losing administration Senate candidates to concede as well.
“President Arroyo must tell her candidates to shut up and accept the judgment of the people. If you remember, it was Mrs. Arroyo herself who made an appeal immediately after the May 14 elections for everyone to accept the results of the elections. We trust that the appeal is also addressed to administration candidates," Binay said.
In the latest Comelec tally, Loren Legarda of the Genuine Opposition (GO) continued to lead the race with 16,826,806 votes. She was followed by her party mates Francis Escudero, with 16,663,775 votes; Panfilo Lacson, with 14,106,629 votes; and Manuel Villar Jr., with 14,000,871 votes.
Independent candidate Francis Pangilinan ranked fifth with 13,340,796 votes.
Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, also an opposition candidate, was in sixth place with 13,114,292 votes.
Team Unity candidates Edgardo Angara and Joker Arroyo occupied the seventh and eighth spots with 11,307,589 and 10,750,186 votes, respectively.
At ninth was Alan Peter Cayetano (GO) with 10,697,866 votes. Gregorio Honasan, another independent candidate, was next with 10,418,666 votes.
Behind Honasan are GO’s Antonio Trillanes IV with 10,012,668 votes and Aquilino Pimentel III with 9,862,695 votes.
Defensor was trailing his party mates Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was at 13th with 9,763,360 votes, and Ralph Recto, at 14th with 9,650,727 votes. (JMR/AH/Hannah Oliva/Bernadith Abonita-UST interns/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (May 31, 2007 issue)
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