NOT AN ELECTION PROTEST

A people’s initiative signed by 21,000 registered voters in Pangasinan seeking a manual recount of all the votes cast in Pangasinan during the May 9, 2021 elections was filed on May 16 before the Provincial Elections Office in Dagupan City.

Clarifying that it is not an electoral protest but merely a people’s initiative, Atty. Laudemer Fabia, head of a Volunteer Group seeking the manual recount, said it will settle all doubts that the just concluded election was clean and not tainted with irregularities as many of their volunteers suspect.

Fabia said his group is not supporting any candidate nor did it mention any candidate in their just two-paragraph, one-page appeal to the Comelec, and the people’s initiative was launched in order to find out if their sovereign right to vote for their respective candidates was not violated.

Meanwhile, Provincial Elections Supervisor Erickson Oganiza who received the petition, said he forwarded the appeal to the Commission on Elections in Manila.

Fabia clarified, too, that his group is not accusing anyone of cheating but believe there were irregularities that happened during the election and the issue can only be settled through the conduct of manual recounting of votes.

He said the campaign for signatures of voters started on May 12 right after the proclamation of the leading candidates for governor and other provincial officials, including candidates in the district, city and municipalities.

The signatories were from Alaminos City, Urdaneta City, Lingayen, Bayambang, San Fabian, Binalonan, Rosales, Villasis, Umingan and Bugallon.

Asked to detail the suspected irregularities, Fabia said the suspected irregularity was in the transmission of votes to the Comelec from the vote counting machines.

“We want to find out if the candidates we voted for correspond to what to what was transmitted to the Comelec  and what has been shown to the people,” Fabia added.

He said he is also not alleging manipulation made because in manipulation there is one person or group of persons behind it.

Fabia said many volunteers who voted claim the receipts they received did not reflect the votes they cast.

Asked what they will do if the decision of the Comelec is adverse to their appeal, he said it is for the group to decide that.

The PUNCH attempted to get the reaction from the AGuiLa camp but no formal statement was issued. (Leonardo Micua)

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