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SPEAKER Jose de Venecia on Friday filed before the
Commission on Elections (Comelec) a disqualification case against
his congressional opponent, Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim, for
alleged vote buying.
Edward Castañeda, counsel for de
Venecia and the Lakas-NUCD-CMD, filed the complaint, saying that
Lim’s camp have been doling out money, ranging from P50 to P1,000,
grocery items and gift certificates in exchange for their votes.
“The basis of our complaint is
witnesses who came over to us. We examine and interview them. This
is vote buying, a violation of the Omnibus Election Code,” Castañeda
told reporters.
He presented as evidence the
sworn statement of 92 witnesses, all teachers in the town of
Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
Also presented as evidence were
gift certificates that were redeemable at the Magic Club, a mall in
Dagupan City owned by Lim.
“For us this is vote buying.
The gift certificate, though no amount was indicated, could be
exchanged for a grocery package. Magic Club is a mall identified
with Mayor Lim,” he said.
According to Castañeda, some 300
public-schools teachers in the town of Mangalda received the Magic
Club gift certificates.
Asked why it was he and not de
Venecia, who filed the case against Lim, Castañeda said: “It
doesn’t matter because under the law any citizen of voting age is
allowed to file a disqualification case.”
“It is considered a complaint
by the Speaker himself. The only difference is he [de Venecia] was
not the one who signed the complaint,” Castañeda stressed.
The Speaker, he explained, did
not want to file a complaint, although he was forced to authorize
him after learning the Lim camp continued with their vote-buying
activity despite repeated warnings to stop.
“Based on the latest survey, it
is 85-15 in favor of the Speaker. He is ahead by a big margin. This
is why the other camp is resorting to vote buying. We have to guard
against this,” Castañeda said.
De Venecia and Lim, who were
former allies, are now running for congressman in the Fourth
District of Pangasinan.
--William B. Depasupil
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