Tinga asks Comelec to declare failure of polls in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines - Losing mayoralty bet Ma. Rebecca Carissa “Rica” Tiñga has filed a petition asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare a “failure of elections” in the city citing alleged massive fraud and widespread irregularities.

Tiñga’s legal counsel, Maria Bernadette Sardillo said the petition filed against Mayor-elect Lani Cayetano and the Taguig City Board of Canvasers before the Comelec on Monday, asks that the Comelec to issue a resolution declaring a failure of elections in Taguig for the position of Mayor; annul the results of the proclamation of Cayetano as city mayor; and declare the holding of a special elections for the position of city mayor.

Sardillo said the core of the petition is on Cayetano’s alleged massive use of pre-shaded, precinct specific official ballots that were handed to voters and received and read by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.

According to Sardillo, they have witnesses who saw how pre-shaded ballots were handed out to voters in several clustered precincts in various barangays, and submitted to the Comelec. Sardillo said the systematic cheating was perpetrated in all the 28 barangays of Taguig.

“With all the BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors), the school principals, the DepEd Division personnel, the Comelec support staff and poll technicians forming an unholy alliance and conspiring in the colossal fraud, the massive use of the pre-shaded ballots was executed with amazing speed and ease,” Tinga’s petition read.

Sardillo said they have witnesses who alleged that they were handed official ballots by their BEIs that already had the names of Cayetano for Mayor, Ading Cruz for Vice Mayor, Lino Cayetano for 2nd District Rep. already shaded. The Cayetanos’ selected council bets per district were also shaded in the ballots, according to Sardillo.

The alleged cheating, said Sardillo, would explain the outcome of the elections where Cayetano’s Nacionalista party-mates won 17 of the 20 contested posts by “incredibly high margins” despite the low turnout of voters.

“Sadly, the mayoralty elections in the City of Taguig do not embody the true will of the electorate. Respondent Cayetano was elected as mayor, but not through the expression of the popular will of the electorate,” the petition stated.