Administration senatorial candidate Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. accused yesterday his tocayo (namesake), Olivia "Bong" Coo, of demanding P20 million for her to withdraw from the senatorial race in the May 10 elections.
Revilla also claimed that Coo, a senatorial candidate of the Alyansa ng Pag-asa party, asked for a Ford F-150 van and chairmanship of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), now headed by former swimmer Eric Buhain.
Coo, a bowling hall of famer, also allegedly demanded that she be given a presidential medal of honor for her achievements in the sport.
Revilla said he rejected all of Coo’s demands, calling them "whimsical" and "immoral."
"To all of this I said no because it was out of my principle to give in to her demands, which I believe were whimsical and immoral and outright political blackmail and black propaganda," said Revilla, a movie action star and former Cavite governor who became anti-piracy czar of the Arroyo administration.
"I told you I cannot afford to give what you were asking for, but here we are now, you are accusing me of things I did not do. Don’t destroy me," was Revilla’s message to Coo.
Revilla refused to dwell on his rival’s accusation that he offered her P20 million in exchange for her backing out.
Revilla said his "lawyer is already on the case." "I will let him handle this," Revilla said. "Election day is just a few days away and I will not waste precious time debating with you."
"I will just concentrate instead on my campaign for time is of the essence. I invite you (Coo) to do the same," Revilla said.
Revilla’s counter-accusation was in reaction to Coo’s earlier claim that the administration threatened her and her family after she refused to give up the nickname "Bong" to the pro-administration candidate.
In a press conference Sunday, Coo revealed a presidential adviser offered her last April 12 the position of presidential adviser for sports if she would withdraw from the elections.
Alyansa senatorial bet and lawyer Perfecto Yasay Jr. identified the presidential adviser as Gabriel Claudio, who handles President Arroyo’s political affairs.
Five days later on April 19, Revilla himself personally asked her to back out in exchange for P20 million, Coo said.
Coo said she declined all offers, which she alleged resulted in "threats" to the "safety and lives" of her family. Coo came out with her revelation after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a resolution, ruling that all "Bong" votes must be counted in favor of Coo.
Coo listed "Bong" as her nickname in her certificate of candidacy. On the other hand, Revilla, gave the nickname "Kap," taken from the character he played in the television series "Idol ko si Kap." Revilla also registered his surname as "Bong Revilla" and his first name as "Ramon Jr."
Revilla said he initially brushed off Coo’s accusations as a "publicity stunt."
"But I had a change of mind after assessing the gravity and harm it would inflict on my person and reputation," Revilla said.
— With Sheila Crisostomo
"Feeling alluded to by their repeated referral to a senatorial candidate sharing her name ‘Bong’ as one of the instigators, I was constrained to issue this statement to clear the air once and for all," he said.
Revilla asked Coo to be "truthful to herself."
"(The) truth will set you free. Ms. Coo, let us be truthful to ourselves. I did not offer you anything. You were the ones who approached us, who told us that you will withdraw from the senatorial race with some conditions. And these conditions include the P20 million that you asked from us a Ford F-150, chairmanship of the Philippine Sports Commission and the presidential medal of honor because of your achievements in bowling," Revilla said.
Coo denied Revilla’s counterclaims, noting the nickname "Bong" was originally hers.
"I have no reason to approach Revilla because the nickname Bong is mine as of the time that I filed a petition last December 30. The nickname Bong belongs to me," Coo stressed.
She reiterated Revilla used "Kap" as his nickname when he filed his certificate of candidacy on Jan. 5.
"But he later got my name Bong and that was contained in the resolution of the Comelec. So for me, he stole my nickname Bong," Coo said.
The promulgation of the Comelec resolution was dated April 28 when Alyansa standard-bearer Raul Roco returned to the country after undergoing medical treatment in the United States, she pointed out.
"They gave me an ultimatum last April 27 that if I will not accept their offer, they will still get what they want because they will pay the Comelec," Coo alleged.
"They are doing everything to win."
In a hastily called press conference yesterday, Coo’s lawyer and fellow senatorial bet Nicanor Gatmaitan Jr. said Comelec Resolution 6713 was illegal because it was issued by the Comelec without notifying Coo.
"Bong Coo was deprived of due process. If we did not call a press conference (last Sunday) we would have not learned about this new resolution," Gatmaitan said.
Yasay said there has been a "fundamental violation of the rights" of Coo because her "prior right" to use the nickname "Bong" was disregarded by the poll body.
"What the Comelec should have done is to ask Coo to comment before issuing the resolution. For the Comelec not to do that, that is a violation of her rights to due process," Yasay said.
The new resolution supposedly supersedes Resolution 6657, promulgated by the Comelec on March 15,
which mandates that all "Bong" votes should be counted in favor of Coo.
Gatmaitan said Coo would be filing before the Supreme Court a petition to review the resolution and to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the poll body from implementing Resolution 6713.
"The Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction when it issued the said resolution without any notice or without giving Bong Coo her day in court," he said.
"There was a precipitate haste (to issue the resolution). It has been promulgated fast. In other words, there was a surreptitious, premeditated scheme done by the other camp to put one over Coo," Gatmaitan said. - With Sheila Crisostomo