Western, Central Visayas to bring votes for Roxas — LP

The Liberal Party (LP) is not yet raising its white flag regarding its vice presidential bet, Sen. Manuel “Mar" Roxas II, who trails Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in the race for the second highest elective post in the land. This is because of the six million votes from what are considered as Roxas’ bailiwicks —Central and Western Visayas — that have yet to be counted, LP campaign manager Florencio “Butch" Abad said on Thursday, citing the party’s independent computation. “Kami ay naniniwala na si Senator Roxas ang mangingibabaw. Anim na milyon pa ang kailangan bilangin. Naniniwala kami ang laban ay dikit pa. Pag may nagsasabi na sila ay panalo na ay di nakatingin sa datos," Abad said at a press briefing in Cubao, Quezon City. (We believe Senator Roxas will win. Six million votes have yet to be counted. We believe the fight is still neck-and-neck. Anyone claiming to have won has not checked the numbers.) GMA Network's partial and unofficial tally as of Thursday afternoon showed Roxas leading in the two regions. [See: GMANews.TV's Election Dashboard]

Swing votes Abad said the swing votes would come from Western and Central Visayas, which are considered as bailiwicks of Roxas. The LP vice presidential bet served as congressman in the first district of Capiz province in the Western Visayas region. Abad added that Binay should refrain from making claims that he is on the way to victory because the vice presidential race is still too close to call. As of Thursday afternoon, GMA Network’s partial and unofficial tally showed Binay leading with 13,389,462 votes — some 700,000 votes away from Roxas’ 12,602,812 votes. Last Wednesday, Binay expressed confidence of winning the vice presidential derby, saying he would lose only if his rivals cheat election results. He likewise said he had received reports that there are “special operations" in Mindanao for fraud. But Abad denounced insinuations that the LP, which had campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, was operating to rig poll results. No Mindanao visit for Cruz Former Defense secretary Avelino Cruz, who leads LP’s vote-protection team, denied going to Mindanao for the alleged special operations. “Andito ako araw-araw (I have been here in Cubao everyday)," he told reporters. Cruz also said LP lawyers and watchers have been vigilantly monitoring the canvassing, particularly in bailiwick provinces, to protect Roxas’ votes. He added that Roxas would emerge as the winner once the Senate and the House of Representatives convene as the national board of canvassers on May 31. “Starting May 31, malalaman natin talaga kung ano ang bilang (we will know the real count). Iyong hairline kasing nipis ng hairline ni Butch Abad (The possible hairline would probably be as thin as Butch Abad’s)," Cruz said. The thinning hairline of Abad—as well as of LP standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III—have been the subject of jokes even among party members. —KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV