By Marie A. Surbano01/16/2010
Original Story: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100116hed5.html
He wants to be the first name listed in the official Commission on Elections’ ballot, so he wants the Comelec to disqualify a presidential candidate
to scratch out from the list of presidential candidates, Vetallano Acosta, the standard bearer of the Kulusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), since going by alphabetical order, Aquino slides down to number two in the ballot listing of the presidential bets.
Liberal party presidential bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino yesterday asked the Comelec to invalidate the candidacy of Acosta on the grounds of grounds of “misrepresentations.”
In a petition lodged with the Comelec, Aquino, through his lawyer, Sixto Brillantes, claimed that Acosta’s presidential bid not only aims to dislodge his client from the number 1 slot in the ballots to be printed but also to create confusion among the voters.
“It has a direct effect on the automation law and voting. The listing of candidates is alphabetical. Without Acosta, Aquino would be number one in the list of presidential candidates in the ballot. Therefore, if Acosta gets in -- and he is not even known to the voters, he becomes number one in the list and Nonoy goes on second,” Brillantes told reporters.
He is also convinced that this is another plot by their rivals in the coming May 2010 presidential elections, saying “to us, there is a very sinister scheme on the part of some people, especially some KBL personalities to insert the name of Acosta to dislodge Aquino as the number one presidential candidate in the listing and official ballots as required by law.”
Brillantes further said that he believes the KBL is not the real mastermind in this scheme and is only being used by some camps that may benefit from this.
“We believe, I personally believe there is somebody or some persons behind this. KBL is being used. KBL may not be the mastermind of this scheme,” Aquino’s counsel said.
When asked who is their suspect, Brillantes declined to give names but said “it has to be the presidentiables who are involved.”
At the same time, Brillantes pointed that Acosta who filed his certificate of candidacy last Nov. 20 stated in his application form that he is running as an independent candidate and not as the official candidate of KBL.
But KBL said it filed a certificate of nomination for Acosta last Dec. 1 but when they checked the records of the Comelec there was no certificate of nomination.
Moreover, Brillantes said that Acosta never attended the hearings of the Comelec in particular the hearing for his motion for reconsideration after the poll body disqualified him in its Dec. 15 ruling.
“It is a very bad omen to allow this Acosta to run for president despite the fact that even the Comelec has not seen this Acosta except his picture in his certificate of candidacy. He is a nuisance candidate,” he noted.
“Apparently there were misrepresentations as far as Mr. Acosta is concerned,” Brillantes said.
Brillantes also questioned the ruling of the Commission against Acosta after all of the members of the en banc voted in favor of the Acosta candidacy while another presidential aspirant Nicanor Perlas whose candidacy was reconsidered by the poll body got a 5 to 2 vote.
“This is a strange Comelec vote. It was 7-0 in favor of Acosta while Perlas, who has come out on TV and spends for press conferences got a 5 to 2 vote, the election lawyer stressed.
Last Thursday, the Comelec en banc qualified both Acosta and Perlas for the presidential race this coming May after they have shown proof of having the capability to wage a nationwide campaign.
Meanwhile, two Senate hopefuls—a retired police general and an 80s singer --have gone to court to question before the Supreme Court (SC) the decision of the Comelec disqualifying them from the senatorial race in automated polls this May.
In a petition, Romeo Maganto and Anthony Castelo asked the SC to nullify Resolution No. 8713 issued by Comelec last month and allow their names to be included in the ballots for the polls on May 10.
The two challenged the findings of the poll body that they lack capability to wage a nation-wide campaign since they both registered as independent candidates -- even if they were later on adopted by Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party. Benjamin B. Pulta
Original Story: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100116hed5.html
NoyNoy is showing oppressive stances on the underdog Acosta. Ang tingin yata ni Ninoy sa balota eh billing sequence ng artista sa movies. He is provoking the fighter in me.
ReplyDeleteHe is showing disrespect to the decision of the Comelec. He is showing disrespect to a fellow candidate. Go ahead, show us more of your dark side.