ONE YEAR AFTER ELECTION

FORMER Governor Victor Agbayani’s poll protest against incumbent Governor Amado Espino Jr. gets underway as contested ballot boxes from 199 precincts in 32 towns and two cities in Pangasinan are set to be transported to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila on June 3 for manual counting.

Provincial election Supervisor Temie Lambino, in a briefing Wednesday afternoon in Dagupan City, said the ballots will be retrieved on June 1 and 2 and readied for immediate transfer to Manila.

Agbayani filed his election protest against Espino on May 24, 2010 following the May 10 polls.

Espino was proclaimed by the Provincial Board of Canvassers of Pangasinan on May 14 with the result showing Espino winning over Agbayani by 532,000 votes out of about 1.36 million voters in the province.

Espino won in all towns and cities, including the capital Lingayen, Agbayani’s hometown.

Lambino explained that priority pilot precincts will be initially counted, and the results of which will determine whether the Comelec second division will proceed with the recount or dismiss the protest.

“If there is a significant change in the results, the manual count will continue,” Lambino said in the briefing attended by election officers, treasurers and police chiefs from the 34 contested areas.

EXPENSES

Lambino said the protestant, Agbayani, will shoulder all expenses for the recount, including per diems and other incidental expenses by the personnel involved from the police, treasury and Comelec.

At least six wheeler trucks and two elf trucks had been chartered by the Comelec to transport the ballot boxes, which will be accompanied by election officers and municipal and city treasurers to Dagupan City.

From there, they will move to Manila with uniformed policemen as escorts.

“We will make sure that no untoward incident happens,” Lambino said.–LM (with a report from PIA Pangasinan)

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