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By Maricel V. Cruz, Reporter
CALLING it absurd,
proadministration lawmakers have laughed off Senate Minority Leader
Aquilino Pimentel’s warning of “electoral catastrophe” should
the Commission of Elections (Comelec) decide to count the results of
the canvass of Maguindanao votes.
House Deputy Majority Leader
Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur and Rep. Exequiel Javier of
Antique said the Maguindanao votes canvass was strongly justified
with the Comelec task force’s findings that the certificates of
canvass (COCs) in the region were authentic and properly
accomplished by the election officer.
Cerilles and Javier, in a joint
statement, assailed efforts by the Pimentel’s camp to prevent the
canvassing of Maguindanao COCs, noting the Comelec is already trying
its best to exhaust all due process steps to the extent of being too
cautious on the issue of deciding whether or not to declare a
failure of elections in Maguindanao.
Cerilles said that a high-ranking
public official like Pimentel should be responsible enough not to
talk about chaos and extralegal remedies.
“As a lawyer, Nene should
resort to legal remedies, which he did in 1995 after he said he was
cheated in the polls. No one should deviate from the rule of law,”
he said.
Cerilles said if a party does not
accept the senatorial poll results, then the losing candidate can go
to the Senate Electoral Tribunal to ventilate his or her complaint.
“Senator Pimentel, who holds a
high position in a prestigious institution that is the Senate,
should always opt for legal remedies. Warning people of chaos
won’t achieve anything,” he noted.
Pimentel’s warning that the
Maguindanao votes canvass would fuel protests, according to Javier,
was “improbable” and “ridiculous.”
“We heard Nene warn about
massive protests before but no one listened to him. He makes such
warnings so easy as if he could convince people to follow with a
flick of his fingers. The people respect our poll process and the
Comelec’s move to finish the Maguindanao votes canvass.”
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