Press Release
March 30, 2010

LP LEADERS URGE COMELEC TO ENSURE
SUCCESSFUL AUTOMATED POLLS

AQUINO, ROXAS WARN AGAINST 'LUTONG GLORIA' TACTICS TO STAY IN POWER

Liberal Party standard bearers Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Mar Roxas today appealed to the Commission on Elections to act quickly and address critical political developments that could adversely affect the conduct of a peaceful and successful computerized May 10 national elections.

The Liberal Party leadership, led by Aquino and Roxas, said the Comelec's sluggish action and seeming indifference to alarming developments in the political front could be part of a grand plot to extend President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's hold to power.

Aquino said this has spawned public apprehensions of massive and wholesale poll cheating and a possible failure of elections leading to either a holdover presidency by the House Speaker or a military junta take-over.

"Ang nais ng lahat ay isang patas na laban, ngunit ito rin ba ang ninanais ng Comelec sa gaganaping halalan Maasahan ba natin na magiging maayos ang darating na halalan, gayong marami pa ring problema sa kauna-unahang automated elections sa bana na hindi pa natutugunan?" he asked.

Roxas suspected delays in the Comelec preparations could be deliberate and aimed at making sure that the country's first automated elections do not succeed.

"Nandito po kami para ihatid sa ating mga kababayan ang aming matinding pangamba na nabababoy ang proseso ng halalan sa ating bansa," he said, citing serious lapses or inadequacies in the preparations for the automated polls, such as questionable source code review requirements, absence of means to verify ultra-violent marks in official ballots, uncertain conduct of a Random Manual Audit, absence of a clear back-up plan, and an unfair ballot design, among others.

"Kung noong nakaraan, noong panahon ng ina ng ating presidential candidate ay may tinatawag na 'lutong Makoy', ngayon naman ay meron tayong 'lutong Gloria' at nakikita natin ito dito sa mga hudyat na ito, kung saan talagang kapit-tuko at ayaw talaga bumaba sa pwesto. Gusto manatili ang kanyang pagkareyna-reyna dito sa ating bansa," he added.

He stressed: "Ito ang mga dahilan kung bakit pinapangambahan ng Partido Liberal ang pagpapatupad ng malinis, matuwid, matapat na halalan sa darating na Mayo. Ang ating demokrasya, ang ating kalayaan, ang ating kasarinlan ang siyang nakasalalay dito."

Senatorial candidate and former Senate President Franklin Driloin said: "We see the refusal of the Comelec to listen to reasonable proposals from the Liberal Party as part of the pattern to really undermine our democratic institutions so that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can succeed in her plan to stay in power beyond June 30, 2010."

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