An eye for youthful skin

MALOLOS CITY – Police harassment on a lawyer of a gubernatorial candidate in Bulacan marred Friday’s painfully slow canvass of votes here.

Lawyer Rex Panumpang, an election counsel of former governor Roberto Pagdanganan, told The STAR yesterday that police officers tried to intimidate him and his family. The police allegedly searched for firearms inside his cottage at Jed’s Island Resort in Calumpit town.

“I was told by the resort manager, Larry Bernardino, that they came to my room where my children were staying,” Panumpang, who was in Manila on Friday night, said.

Police officers, led by Superintendent Pedro Ramos and Superintendent Jesus Reyes of the Calumpit police station, allegedly came to the cottage.

Panumpang has been staying at Jed’s Island Resort since early this week. Two days ago, his children – aged one, seven, eight, nine, 11, 13, 15, and 19 – joined him at the resort along with their nanny, his sister and three office staff.

The identities of the supervising police officer were given by Ber­nardino to Panumpang yesterday morning.

The police officers allegedly searched his room and looked for firearms but have not presented any search warrant.

“They were trying to harass and intimidate me,” Panumpang said, noting that of the six counsels representing Pagdanganan in the provincial canvass of votes, he was the most vocal.

Panumpang said he objected to the certificate of canvass from Malolos City, and the towns of San Ildefonso, Baliuag, Guiguinto, Plaridel and the mountain town of Donya Remedios Trinidad.

“I find it very unusual why the total numbers of those who actually voted in Plaridel town is higher than the total number of voters in the same town. And why is it that when the certificate of canvass (COC) from Guiguinto town was outside the ballot box when transported to the provincial board of canvassers?” he asked.

However, Provincial Prosecutor Alfredo Geronimo, the vice chairman of the Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC) told The STAR that the difference in the number of voters in Plaridel town and those who actually voted is minimal. With regards to the Guiguinto incident, he said it was a mistake but was attested by the municipal board of canvassers.

 Panumpang is not convinced though. “Something is wrong and something must have been done in the transport and preparation of the COC.

With regards to the slow conduct of canvassing in the province, Panumpang said they are having  apprehensions.

“We are very apprehensive, he said, adding that even the election returns that should have been given to Lakas-CMD, the party of Pag­danganan was submitted late.

For his part, Geronimo said  the PBOC is not slow in the conduct of the canvass. He said that it was the municipal board of canvassers who are slow.

He cited the case of the City of San Jose Del Monte, which has  the highest number of voters.

Pagdanganan said yesterday in a press statement that the owner of Jed’s Resort and Panumpang are contemplating filing charges against the raiding team.