Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume IV, Special Election Issue May 12, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
Youth
Party Says Akbayan Stealing Votes There
have been reports of voters lists missing, widespread fraud and terrorism on May
10 – election day. But this one’s different: A party-list group has been
accused of misrepresenting itself and stealing votes from a rival group. By
Emily Vital There
have been reports of voters lists missing, widespread fraud and terrorism on May
10 – election day. But this one’s different: A party-list group has been
accused of trying to steal votes from another. Anak
ng Bayan (nation’s children), the only youth sectoral party running for party
list in last Monday’s elections, yesterday accused Akbayan! Citizens Action
Party of stealing votes cast for the former. Reports by Anak ng Bayan poll watchers and volunteers of other progressive party-list groups and allied candidates in Gen. Santos City; Digos, Davao Sur; Cotabato City; Mati, Davao Oriental; and Asuncion, Davao Norte, all in Mindanao; as well as in Metro Manila and other cities said that ballots containing “Anakbayan” in the party-list category were credited to Akbayan instead of Anak ng Bayan. Anak
ng Bayan leaders said this could have been the result of letters sent by Akbayan
to the poll body’s boards of election inspectors asking that “Anakbayan,”
“Akbay,” “Bayan” and “Akbayan Muna” should be counted in favor of
Akbayan. One of such letters was distributed in Gen. Santos City and it was
signed by Benjamin Sumog-oy, Akbayan national council member. Apolinario
Alvarez, Anak ng Bayan national president and House first nominee, however said
that “Anakbayan” votes should be credited to Anak ng Bayan instead of
Akbayan. Anakbayan,
Alvarez said, is one of the founding organizations of Anak ng Bayan youth party.
Alvarez is also the incumbent chairperson of Anakbayan. “Logic
dictates that ‘Anakbayan’ votes should be counted as votes for Anak ng Bayan,”
he said. Party-list
counsel Neri Colminares warned that Akbayan could be charged with false
reporting. “They made it appear it’s [the letter] a Comelec sanction,” he
said. “It’s below the belt. To a certain degree, Akbayan tends to influence
the BEI.” In
some precincts, “Anakbayan votes” have been classified as “stray votes.” “Under
the law, the sounds alike rule should have been applied. Clearly, Anakbayan
sounds closer to Anak ng Bayan than Akbayan,” Colminares said. Malicious
Akbayan
said, “It is clear that Akbayan is doing everything to disqualify and sabotage
us.” Alvarez
recalled that Akbayan had filed a petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
to order Anak ng Bayan to change its name. Akbayan argued Anak ng Bayan is being
misconstrued as Akbayan. “The
timing could not be perfect,” Alvarez noted. “They did that after Anak ng
Bayan ranked third in Pulse Asia’s first survey on party list.
They wanted us to change our name in the middle of the campaign.” Alvarez
said Anak ng Bayan is totally different from Akbayan.
Anak ng Bayan is the only youth sectoral party while Akbayan is a
political party. “Akbayan is one
word. Anak ng Bayan is three words.
Our colors and logos are different. Akbayan is insulting the intelligence
of the public,” he said. Anak
ng Bayan consistently made it to top five in all pre-election surveys for party
list groups. Deceiving
Weeks
before the election day, Alvarez said, posters that read “Ano ang partido
ng kabataan? Siyempre, Akbayan!”
(What is the party of the youth? Of
course, Akbayan!) were seen posted in many towns. “Who
is riding on the popularity of what party?
Akbayan is deceiving the youth and the public. Anak ng Bayan is the only
legitimate youth party accredited by Comelec,” Alvarez said. “(Akbayan
House nominee) Etta Rosales and her co-nominees should look at the mirror to
stop hallucinating they are still young,” he said. “In fact, Akbayan did not
take up a single issue of the youth in their three years in Congress.” Political slander
Alvarez
said Rosales serves as a mouthpiece of National Security Adviser Norberto
Gonzales. Both branded Anak
ng Bayan and five other party list groups as fronts of the Communist Party of
the Philippines (CPP). “We
deem all these moves as part of the grand scheme to prevent us and other
progressive party lists from taking office in Congress,” Alvarez said. Anak ng Bayan called on the Comelec and the incumbent administration to act on the matter immediately. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
|
|