Cagayan gov poll row unresolved; two rivals trade charges on fraud

BY ARMAND TAMARAY

TUGUEGARAO CITY – People in this northern-most province of Luzon are still in quandary on who among the gubernatorial candidates is the winner of the governorship in the last elections even with assumption of office by new and reelected local officials this week.

Incumbent Gov. Edgar Lara said he would be proclaimed the winner, but the same optimism was aired by his rival, Alcala Mayor Alvaro “Bong” Antonio”

The conflicting claims aggravated confusion among residents and sparked tension among followers of the two leaders.

Lara, a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, was reportedly leading slightly over Antonio, a member of the Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats.

The official tally in all towns showed Lara won by 605 votes, garnering 175,336 votes compared to Antonio’s 174, 731 votes.

The tally included votes from the towns of Lal-lo and Calayan and several others like Lasam which are being questioned by Antonio’s camp for alleged “material defects.”

This caused the transfer of the venue of the election canvassing
from the city to Manila.

Without counting the votes from the towns being questioned, Antonio said, he would win by some +1,000 votes over Lara.

One of Antonio’s allies, Rep. Manuel Mamba (3rd district), meanwhile, said the proclamation of Antonio as governor was a “sure thing.”

This, as Lara questioned election results in Mamba’s town of Tuao, saying these gave the congressman and his ally, Antonio, “bloated votes.”

The allegations and counter-allegations were being studied by the Commission on Elections, thus delaying the proclamation.

Earlier, Church leaders of Catholic and Protestant communities denounced what they perceived as a move by certain influential people in the province to manipulate the results of the gubernatorial election.

They also assailed “blatant election “irregularities” in parts of the province and asked the Comelec to ensure the true will of the people of Cagayan would come out.