Losing Lanao Sur bets want special polls

MANILA, Philippines — Claiming massive fraud, four losing gubenatorial candidates in Lanao del Sur have asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to nullify the elections in the province.

“There appear compelling and persuasive reasons ... to annul the results of the elections, to declare failure of elections in... Lanao del Sur, including Marawi, and to schedule a special elections,”  PDP-Laban candidate Guiling Mamondiong, Sultan Bob Datimbang of Labor Progressive Party and independent candidates Hatta Dimaporo and Binladen Sharief said in a 12-page petition filed on Wednesday.

The petitioners said the Comelec should annul the results of the elections “to shield the expression of the will of the electorate.”

They claimed fraud, including pre-shading of ballots, with incumbent municipal government officials as instigators, marred the midterm elections in the province.

Flying voters were not caught because voter’s registration verification machines malfunctioned, they said.

Many were not able to cast their votes due to election-related violence, the petitioners added.

They said only the supporters of Mamintal Adiong, who was proclaimed winner in the gubernatorial race, were allowed in polling precincts.

“What could have been  a democratic process of ascertaining the will of the electorate was totally vitiated. These ... gave rise to failure to elect, a ground  for the declaration of failure of elections,” the petition read.

Poll protest

In Camarines Norte, the camp of a losing mayoral candidate in Capalonga town filed a petition questioning the victory of Luz Ricasio and seeking a recount of votes.

Senandro Jalgalado filed the protest on behalf of Editha Jalgalado, who got only 7,230 as against Ricasio’s 7,872 votes.

The protest was filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 64 in Labo on Thursday last week. 

Jalgalado claimed there were massive vote-buying, harassment of voters and  defective SD cards and vote counting machines. He also cited reports of pre-shading of ballots.  – With Michelle Zoleta