PCOS exposed: But Comelec has lost its tongue

First off, allow me to inform you that when I was in Bacolod last week, I noticed that their fuel pump prices have apparently remained the same since my last visit there in January... still at P57.19/liter for unleaded gasoline. While my friends in Bacolod City thanked me for writing that column to bring to light their high fuel prices, somehow the Aquino regime failed to listen to their pleas. Well, as I’ve pointed out many times already, it is time for the people of Bacolod to teach the Aquino government a little comeuppance especially in this election period. But somehow, there is no light at the end of this tunnel for the people of Bacolod City.

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While in Bacolod City for the 19th Annual Convention of the Federation of Motorcycle Clubs in the Philippines, I had some free time while BMW was tuning my bike, so off I went to the Bacolod Diocese to meet up with Bishop Vicente Navarra because I wanted to thank him for his courage and patriotism for coming up with the unique Team Patay vs. Team Buhay campaign that has sparked a nationwide controversy. When this slogan came out, the following day I was in Iligan City to speak before the Pro-Life Mindanao Assembly and in just a day, this slogan had gone viral.

So I asked Bishop Navarra how long did it take him to conceptualize this campaign? He told me that the Bacolod Diocese has been very active holding conferences and seminars in the parish level to explain to their parishioners the evils of a contraceptive mentality and why they should oppose the Reproductive Health Bill. Protection of the unborn was his mission.

I asked him what he thought of the RH Law? Bishop Navarra said, “This law is insulting and despising God and runs counter to our morality.” This is why we believe that those you supported the passage of the RH Bill should be called Team Patay, while those who are against the bill are pro-life and therefore Team Buhay. So it was just a natural reaction to the passage of the RH Bill.”

I really didn’t stay long because the Bishop had another meeting and I dropped in unannounced. But later last Saturday afternoon, I attended mass at the Sacred Heart Church and after the mass, the priest asked the parishioners to join him in the Prayer for the Protection of Human Life, which I learned is prayed in the Diocese of Bacolod after every mass. So this really gives you an idea that the Catholic Laity from all over the country with the support of their Bishops are moving vigorously to ensure that those who supported the RH Bill would never be elected again.

But then again, we already know what lurks ahead, it is the use or the misuse of the PCOS machines. We were the first to write about the trouble of the PCOS in the town of Compostela, 25 kilometers north of Cebu City. Now it can be told that when the ballot boxes were opened, it proved us right, when the PCOS counted 788 ballots in a few precincts when there were only 531 ballots. Isn’t this what we call “ballot stuffing”? All this was written last week by our fellow columnist Federico Pascual.

Incidentally, I met Ritchie Wagas at the 888 Forum last Tuesday morning and he finally agreed to guest in my talkshow Straight from the Sky. In the latest count of more than 50% of the ballots, Wagas was winning by a huge margin over the proclaimed Mayor Quiño. So what does the Comelec have to say about this? Their silence is truly deafening. So the big question begging for an answer is... if the shadows behind the PCOS machine would cheat in a small municipality for a few pesos... for sure, these shadows would cheat for millions, if not billions of money. So I suggest that we junk the PCOS now and go back to manual counting before it’s too late.

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While I was in Bacolod last Saturday, I got a call from Atty. Gregorio “Goyo” Larrazabal who wanted to comment on the article we wrote about his involvement in the PPCRV after he left the Comelec. But since his letter is quite lengthy, I will just put the gist of his letter. He told me that when he got into the Comelec, the Smartmatic deal was already a done deal.

“Immediately after my confirmation by the Commission on Appointments, I was designated as chairman of the Steering Committee, tasked to oversee the implementation of the automated elections. As Commissioner, I made sure that I did not involve myself in any contract/bidding/award.

As for his role as national co-chair of the PPCRV, he told me that he was getting out of it. I’m glad that he’s out of it...for the good of the PPCRV. As for the PCOS machines, Atty. Goyo had this to say, “Though many say it was a successful elections, I’ll be the first to say that it was not perfect. However it was a good first step in improving election management in the Philippines.”

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E-mail: vsbobita@mo-pzcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com