Comelec to rule on protest filed by Pineda against Panlilio

After much anticipation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division announced on Monday that it will finally be releasing a decision on the electoral protest filed against Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio by former provincial board member Lilia Pineda. The Commission will promulgate the 22,000-page resolution on Panlilio's case on Thursday at two o’ clock in the afternoon, Second Division presiding Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer told reporters in an ambush interview. Pineda, who lost to Panlilio by a margin of 1,147 votes, accused the winning politician-priest of cheating in the 2007 gubernatorial race and initiated recount proceedings against him with the Comelec. Pineda is the wife of businessman Rodolfo “Bong" Pineda, a well-known financier and staunch ally of President Arroyo. Since then, the case has been pending with the poll body. Despite this, Ferrer still refused to provide any clues on the results of the case. "Secret," he said. He was quick to note, however, that the public can rest assured that they thoroughly reviewed the matter. "Siyempre gusto ng mga kasama ko pag-aralan. Pinag-aralan. (Of course my colleagues wanted to study the case properly and they did)," he said. The other two members of the Second Dvision are Commissioners Elias Yusoph and Lucenito Tagle. But even Panlilio’s legal counsel Atty. Sixto Brillantes had said that he was not confident that the poll body would rule in favor of his client. Critics of the Comelec had likewise predicted that the poll body division would not rule in favor of Panlilio, just like it did his fellow Liberal Party (LP) governors Jonjon Mendoza of Bulacan and Grace Padaca of Isabela. The LP had earlier said that this was part of some kind of “vendetta politics." The poll body has denied the accusation. For his part, Ferrer earlier said that those unsatisfied with their decision can appeal to the Comelec en banc. - GMANews.TV