VIGILANCE PAYS Although he has regained the lead in the latest Social Weather Stations survey, vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still called on the electorate on Thursday to guard against cheating of which he is apparently the main target in the May 9 elections. PHOTO BY RUY L. MARTINEZ
VIGILANCE PAYS Although he has regained the lead in the latest Social Weather Stations survey, vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still called on the electorate on Thursday to guard against cheating of which he is apparently the main target in the May 9 elections. PHOTO BY RUY L. MARTINEZ

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte: Vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday exposed the Plan B of the Liberal Party (LP) to ensure that President Benigno Aquino 3rd will not land in jail after the May 9 elections.

Citing a member of the Liberal Party as his source, the Ilocano lawmaker said the administration party has given up on its standard-bearer—Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd—as they do not expect him to surmount the snowballing voters’ preference tfor Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

“The Plan B is to ensure victory for Leni Robredo and remove Duterte via impeachment. In this way, Noynoy [the President’s nickname] and his minions will avoid being jailed,” Marcos told a news conference here.

Robredo, a congresswoman representing Camarines Sur, is the running mate of Roxas.

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Included in the plan is showing the exit door of Malacañang to Duterte as quickly as possible so that the LP’s rule will be extended for another six years.

Possible imprisonment for Aquino, according to Marcos, could arise from a string of criminal charges, including an unbailable plunder case in connection with the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and Priority Development Allotment Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel, which the President was alleged to have used to buy the loyalty of lawmakers.

The senator said the President is wary of an impending deluge of cases against him and his alleged conspirators, among them Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Transportation Secretary Emilio Abaya and Roxas himself.

“This [Plan B] is a desperate move of Noynoy. He thinks that the only way to win is to cheat. Plan B is their way of escaping jail,” Marcos pointed out.

He said the administration party is also attacking the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC or Church of Christ) in a bid to divide the group.

The religious sect headed by Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo reportedly has chosen Marcos to support and frontrunner presidential bet Duterte.

Aquino had courted the INC to back Roxas’ bid but to no avail.

Marcos has continuously topped various surveys.

Early this week, Robredo overtook him, which the senator suspected as a manipulation to hide the cheating mechanism under Plan B.

In the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), however, Marcos regained the upper hand.

The poll taken from May 1 to 3 showed the senator getting 29 percent and Robredo 28 percent, although the SWS said they were statistically tied.

Marcos urged his supporters to guard their votes and report immediately any irregularity during Election Day itself, especially discrepancies between the names of candidates whom they actually voted for and those shown in the receipt that Vote Counting Machines are supposed to issue to the voters.

“Make noise once you have discovered the irregularity. Tell the watchers, the Board of Election Inspectors, take a picture using your Smartphone, and report to us. We will immediately send somebody to help you,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Alfred Romualdez of this city exposed the vote-buying activities here and the nearby provinces, particularly in Samar where candidates, mostly members of the LP, are involved.

“From P50 to P300, they are indulging in vote-buying. This is alarming and will make these elections expensive since the opponent will also catch up and offer a higher rate,” the mayor said.