MANILA, March 9, 2013-Team PNoy spokesman Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo on Saturday/Mar. 9 took exception to opposition claims that the appointment of Macabangkit Lanto to the Commission on Elections is part of a grand plan to rig the results of the midterm elections in May.
President Aquino, according to Quimbo, will not tolerate, much more, be involved, in any form of electoral fraud.
“Any insinuation to that effect is completely baseless and malicious. Such accusations only betray the ignorance of their knowledge of the President's personal history and conviction,” he said.
Quimbo pointed out that if there is anyone who has personally felt the pain of being victimized by electoral fraud, it is President Aquino himself.
“His father was cheated in 1978. His mother was robbed of victory in 1986. It was likewise the discovery of the electoral fraud that happened in 2004, that pushed the President to lead the opposition in 2007 to victory,” he said.
The President, according to Quimbo, has made unprecedented gains the last two years because of his “Daang Matuwid” program, because of the people's continued trust. Thus, a clean and credible election is important for the President.
“The baseless accusation against the President by UNA we fear is a prelude of how they plan to weaken him in the next three years,” he said.
United Nationalist Alliace secretary-general and campaign manager Toby Tiangco was quoted in news reports as saying that with Lanto in the Comelec, the stage has been set for a modified version of the 2004 elections where then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly cheated movie action king Fernando Poe Jr.
“For sure, his sense of imagination is running too wild,” Quimbo said, referring to who claimed that Lanto is an ace up the sleeve of Team PNoy campaign manager Franklin Drilon.
“How can one person possibly cheat in a commission composed of a chairman and six commissioners?” Quimbo asked.
“One thing is sure. The Liberal party-led administration coalition will not tolerate nor be a party to any electoral fraud,” Quimbo said. “Our party’s long history as a party will bear this out. “
“All this opposition talk about the stage being set for a 12-0 sweep is plain rhetoric that doesn’t make any sense. Even Lanto himself has said that he was more of a victim than a beneficiary in the alleged poll fraud that happened 20 years ago,” he added.
“It’s time that the opposition candidates talk more of their programs and alternative platform of government than letting their imagination run wild. Let’s go back to more relevant issues,” Quimbo said.
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