VM Fernandez denies grabbing incident
VICE Mayor Belen Fernandez belied a press release issued by the City Information Office claiming she grabbed a voter’s registration form from a person lining up outside the doors of the Sangguniang Panlungsod during the registration of voters at the City Election Office.
“Hindi po totoo yon,” Fernandez said, explaining she only talked to one voter lining up at the backdoor of the City Election Office and noted that the registration form already contained the precinct number and a signature (initial).
When she inquired from the voter where the registration form came from, the woman said it came from Barangay Captain Lilia Yasar of Pantal, one of the candidates for councilor under the Lim-Siapno ticket.
“Bakit ganon. Ang isang kandidato ay puwedeng magbigay ng voters registration form at precinct number? Yon po ang question ko doon,” Fernandez said.
She continued, “Is Kapitan Yasar already part of the Comelec who could issue a voter’s registration form? What I know is the Comelec is the only entity that can issue voters registration form,” she said.
On the report that the vice mayor grabbed the registration form from the voter, she said this is but another dirty trick employed against her. She cited how on October 5 when a certain Belen Tamondong Fernandez was duped into filing a certificate of candidacy by people she identified to be connected to City Hall, including Mayor Benjamin Lim.
She also branded a report in the police blotter about a supposed incident, which did not happen, to be an attempt to pre-empt a possible case she will file upon discovering that the voters that had lined up already had registration forms on hand indicating their precinct number with a signature of a still unknown person.
“What I know is that only the Comelec can give out registration form and the precinct number is indicated after the voter has already been interviewed,” the vice mayor said.
She noted from the pronouncement of City Election Officer Remarque Ravanzo, he was not aware of the long queue that reached the Sangguniang Panlungsod where those lining up were allowed to enter the backdoor of the Comelec.
She asked: “Bakit sa mayor’s office nagpa-pirma ng registration form ang isang kamag-anak ni mayor, a Mary Ann Saplan Martellano, hindi naman po siya miyembro ng Comelec?”
“Anyway,” she said, “the Liberal Party has already filed a case regarding this matter.”
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