DINALUPIHAN, Bataan- Two former Bataan officials on Sunday pressed for the manual recount of ballots in six towns in the province to determine any tampering in the results of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) in the May 13, 2013 elections.
This, even as they called on Regional Trial Court judges handling the cases “to render the right decision as a way of service to the people not only in Bataan but the country.”
“Malaking isyu kung may tampering o wala sa PCOS hindi lamang sa Bataan kundi sa buong bansa kaya magandang mabigyan ng closure ang mga protesta sa lalawigan,” former three-term congressman Felicito Payumo said.
Payumo, former chairman of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, and former Vice-Gov. Rogelio Roque claimed that many residents in Bataan wanted to know who “the real winners” are in the last polls.
They said that the recount will stop divisiveness in the province. “Handa kaming makiisa at maging ang taong-bayan sa tunay na nanalo batay sa laman ng ballot boxes dahil mawawala na ang agam-agam, “ Roque said.
Payumo said that if the proclaimed mayors are not afraid to know the truth, they should even be the first ones to let the opening of the ballot boxes “that will give them loud and clear mandate.”
Protest cases, asking that the PCOS results be manually counted, were filed with the RTCs by defeated mayoralty candidates in Dinalupihan, Orani, Samal, Orion, Limay and Bagac towns.
“Pero lahat ng paraan kabilang na ang technicalities ay ginagawa nila para harangin ang opening ng ballot boxes na nangangahulugan ba na natatakot sila of what will come out from the Pandora’s box?,” Payumo said.
