After numerous delays in the canvassing of votes in Muntinlupa City, former news anchor Ricardo “Dong” Puno has been defeated in his congressional bid, losing to opposition bet Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon.
Although the tabulation of votes in the city continues, the Board of Canvassers (BOC) decided to proclaim Biazon, saying that he was leading by a wide margin.
Puno had reportedly asked that a failure of elections be declared in the city. Biazon said Puno’s move is a ploy to cover up Puno’s failure to unseat him as congressman of the city’s first district, as he leads in the canvassing of votes.
He also said that, during the canvassing of votes in the barangays where Biazon won, Puno’s lawyers engaged in dilatory tactics to slow down the canvassing of votes.
“When it was time for the canvassing of votes in the remaining barangays which are my bailiwicks, Puno engaged in dilatory tactics to stop the canvass of votes,” Biazon said.
Puno, meanwhile, ordered his pool of lawyers, poll watchers and representatives to withdraw their participation from any further proceedings conducted during the tabulation of election returns in the city.
The Puno camp cited irregularities – such as tallies and tabulations based on minutes of the Board of Election Inspectors or BEI instead of the ERs themselves – whereas the rules are very clear that minutes of the BEI can be used only when the members of the BEI who prepared these minutes are summoned.
“Despite the clear rule, the Board of Canvassers or BOC did not even bother to summon the BEI concerned but filled up the missing information in the ERs on their own,” Puno said.
He said he cannot ask his lawyers and supporters to continue to participate in what he called “large-scale fraud perpetrated against the residents of Muntinlupa City.”
Meanwhile, the Provincial Board of Canvassers of Cagayan ruled to exclude the votes of the municipality of Lai-lo and include the votes of the municipality of Tuao to the advantage of gubernatorial candidate Alvaro Antonio.
This move was criticized by Cagayan Gov. Edgar Lara, who is appealing the Provincial Board of Canvassers’ decision before the Comelec.
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) earlier found disparities in the Tuao votes that favored Antonio, prompting Lara’s lawyers to file a petition before the board seeking the correction of these “manifest errors.”
The Antonio camp filed a petition alleging fraud and falsification of Certificates of Canvass (COCs) and Statements of Votes (SOVs) in Lai-lo.