Recount for Vizcaya gubernatorial post starts

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will start the recount of the ballots cast during the May 10 elections to determine the real winner in the race for the gubernatorial post here.

In its Memorandum Order dated July 14, the poll body’s First Division ordered the start of the revisions and recounting of the ballots today to determine who between former vice governor Luisa Cuaresma (LDP-Independent) and former board member Leonardo Perez Jr. (NPC-KNP) will be proclaimed as the duly elected governor.

Cuaresma, the proclaimed gubernatorial winner, welcomed the Comelec move, saying that a recount will only affirm her victory in the race. This, she said, will once and for all erase doubts as to the authenticity of her mandate.

The Comelec order came after Perez, son and namesake of former congressman, senator and Comelec Chairman Leonardo Perez Sr., filed an election protest before the poll body’s central office, claiming that there was massive cheating in the last elections here.

In his petition, Perez Jr. sought the recount of votes from 308 precincts in the towns of Bambang, Kasibu, Dupax Del Norte and Dupax Del Sur.

Similarly, the poll body also granted the counter election protest of Cuaresma, who was proclaimed winner by provincial board of canvassers (PBOC) in the three-way gubernatorial race. Cuaresma also sought a recount of the votes cast in 366 precincts involving the towns of Solano, Bayombong and Bagabag.

In the PBOC count, Cuaresma obtained 57,008 votes as against Perez’s 53,227. The third candidate, human rights lawyer Ernesto Salun-at (Lakas-CMD) got 32,062 votes.

Perez, however, claimed he won by a margin of more than one thousand votes had the votes cast in the towns of Bambang, Kasibu, Dupax Del Norte and Dupax Del Sur were properly counted.

Perez claimed that aside from massive cheating, the total number of votes garnered by candidates exceeded the total number of voters in a precinct.

Cuaresma, a former three-term mayor of Bambang town, also filed a counter election protest claiming the same alleged election irregularities.

Cuaresma, however, expressed confidence that the recount would only affirm her winning in the polls.

"The Novo Vizcayanos have spoken. They elected me as the governor fair and square. Let’s respect their will," said the 50-year old Cuaresma, who is the fifth woman to assume the province’s highest post after governors Corazon Espino, Natalia Dumlao, Betty Calderon and Ruth Padilla.