Poe supporters vow to seek truth of 2004 polls

Supporters of the late Fernando Poe Jr. vowed to get to the bottom of the allegations of fraud in the 2004 presidential polls during a mass held at the North Cemetary in Manila yesterday to celebrate his 68th birth anniversary.

Rez Cortez, chairman of the National Coordinating Council of Volunteers (NCCV) for FPJ, said Poe would want them to pursue the search for truth about the 2004 presidential elections, which gave President Arroyo another six years in office.

“Those who remembered (Poe’s birthday) still believe that although he is already dead and not physically with us right now, his advocacies, not only for his supporters but also for the whole nation, still live on,” Cortez said.

“We still believe that Fernando Poe Jr. is the 14th President of the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.

Cortez believed that Poe’s desire to expose the alleged cheating in the 2004 elections triggered debates and increased vigilance of the people regarding the conduct of the elections in the country.

The intensified vigilance of the people, he noted, has been very evident during the mid-term polls held last year.

Cortez said that in spite of public clamor for the government to resolve the issue of massive fraud in the 2004 presidential race, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not too keen on tackling the issue.

“This only goes to show that Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos is afraid to get to the bottom of the matter because he might find himself dragged into the issue, as it could trace up to Malacañang,” Cortez said.

He also asked Poe’s supporters to give their support to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who led more than 300 junior officers and enlisted men in the 2003 mutiny in Makati City.

Cortez believes that Trillanes shares the same vision as Poe, and that he would continue the advocacies of the late actor together with other opposition legislators like Senators Francis Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano.

“We see Mr. Poe in the person of Senator Trillanes. We believe that he would continue Mr. Poe’s vision for people empowerment, a changed political climate, and an authentic anti-poverty program,” he said.