Angeles mayor to file poll raps against rival

By Punto Central Luzon

ANGELES CITY– Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan will file electoral sabotage cases against his predecessor Francis Nepomuceno who earlier sought a recount of mayoral votes cast in the May 2010 elections here.

“When I took over as mayor, I accepted the literal and other forms of bankruptcy left behind by the previous administration and concentrate instead on rebuilding, but the black propaganda and disinformation from the other camp has continued,” Pamintuan said.

In the 2011 polls, Pamintuan got 59,404 votes, defeating then incumbent Nepomuceno who obtained 33,206 votes.

While he sought a recount of votes, Nepomuceno later withdrew the electoral case after the recount only revealed tampered ballots that favored Nepomuceno.

“The tampering was so massive, mainly involving double shading, that the Comelec officials themselves said this is the first time they witnessed such massive tampering of ballots,” reported Patrick Sibug, one of the witnesses of the recount for Pamintuan.

The tampering, which apparently favored Nepomuceno, was uncovered in ballot boxes coming from the precincts in barangays Sapangbato, Pampang and Sta. Teresita, which were all “bailiwicks” of Pamintuan.

“To finally stop the black propaganda, I have decided to finally pursue the electoral sabotage case I initially dropped against Nepomuceno and his camp,” Pamintuan said.
One text message, reportedly from his camp, accused the Pamintuan administration of handling the illegal drugs problem in the city, saying the city was awash with both pushers and users.