Graftwatch prevents Tupas proclamation
Proclamation of reelected Governor Niel Tupas Sr. met a snag yesterday as the People's Graftwatch of Iloilo (PGI) filed a Motion For Suspension of Canvassing and/or Proclamation at the height of preparations at the Capitol yesterday afternoon.
Lodged by PGI lawyer Virgilio Sindico, the Motion primarily pushed the anti-graft body's argument relative to the two dismissal orders handed by the Office of the Ombudsman on the governor.
Members of the Provincial Board of Canvassers headed by Atty. Elizabeth Doronilla, Provincial Director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) went on recess with the petitioner called to appear before the board.
The Motion was deliberated thereafter amidst the insistence from the Tupas camp that given his huge lead against opponent, Vice Governor Roberto Armada, the governor's victory must be upheld.
A copy of Sindico's Motion was furnished to the Office of the Governor minutes after the Comelec received its own copy which then generated media's "breaking news".
Tupas was scheduled for proclamation yesterday afternoon with the resumption of canvassing by the Provincial Board of Canvassers.
Based on the Provincial Board of Canvassers tally as of 12:32 p.m. of May 20, 2007 Tupas already garnered 333,001 votes while his close opponent Vice Governor Armada only got 170,324 votes.
Statement of Votes from six of the province's 42 towns and one component city have yet to be canvassed due to local protests.
The six towns still under protest are Maasin in the third district, Dumangas in the fourth district, and the municipalities of Ajuy, Barotac Viejo, Carles and Sara in the fifth district.
The proclamation of the winning board members and congressmen in the third, fourth and fifth districts were also withheld as of press time yesterday due to the pending protests in the six towns.
Earlier, the camp of Governor Tupas filed with the Comelec a petition asking for the exclusion the town of Sara where both Tupas and his son congressional candidate Niel Tupas Jr. got zero in ten barangays.
Tupas contended that getting zero in ten barangays is very impossible and "statistically improbable."
Tupas said, clearly cheating happened in the ten barangays.
Information also came out that the camp of congressional candidate Col. Enrique "Boy" Suplico, Tupas Jr.'s opponent, asked Comelec to exclude Barotac Viejo, a known bailiwick of the Tupases, for massive fraud and vote-buying.
Comelec has yet to rule on both protests.