In LP count, Roxas surges ahead of Binay

Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II is leading over Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay in the vice presidential race by over 137,000 votes, his political group, the Liberal Party (LP), claimed on Monday. LP general campaign manager Florencio "Butch" Abad said Roxas's supposed 137,404-lead was based on the 88 certificates of canvass (COC) that the party has access to as the dominant minority party that was recognized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). "We hold the official certificates of canvass that was given to the Liberal Party as the dominant opposition party," said Abad at a press conference in Araneta Center, Quezon City. According to the GMA tally based on ERs received through the Comelec server in the Pius Center, Binay leads Roxas by 812,265 votes, with 90% of ERs counted. There are an estimated three million votes left to count. [See: Eleksyon 2010 partial, unofficial tally of ERs] Binay’s party, the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), meanwhile challenged the LP to make public the COCs. JV Bautista, a senatorial candidate under PMP, said data from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and other groups doing the unofficial tally show that Binay is still leading the race in 14 of the country’s 17 regions.

Relying purely on records “Apparently they (LP) are saying that they have in their possession provincial certificates of canvass. Now the question to ask them at this stage is were you able to get the COC by yourselves without any copy being given to the PPCRV and the KBP (Kapisanan ng Broadkaster ng Pilipinas). Please remember that the camp of Binay is relying purely on the records being reported by the PPCRV and the Comelec and nothing else," Bautista said at a press conference held at the Makati City Hall. Abad said the LP was willing to show the COCs but could not provide copies to the media as of yet. "We are simply relying on the certificates of canvass that we are getting from our people in the field," he said. Lito Anzures, Binay’s spokesman, said that while Roxas may be leading in Region 6, Region 7, and in the Caraga region, the votes he got from these areas were not enough to overtake Binay’s lead. According to Azures, Binay got 20 percent of the votes in Western Visayas while Roxas got 63 percent. He said Binay got 30 percent of the votes in Central Visayas while Roxas received 58.5 of the votes. Analysis Based on an analysis of counted clustered precincts, GMANews.TV projects that Roxas would cut Binay's lead by only 63,600 votes when all election returns have been canvassed. (This last figure was an increase on May 17 from 31,600 after an analysis of the updated tally) The analysis was based on voting trends established in counted clustered precincts in the same localities as uncounted precincts. For Roxas to win, the clustered precincts that remain uncounted would have to yield voting results far different from those in the counted precincts. It is only Congress, convening as the National Board of Canvassers, which is authorized to canvass the votes and proclaim the new president and vice president of the country. The Senate and House of Representatives will most likely convene as NBC on May 25 after the respective chambers approve the rules on May 24. - KBK, GMANews.TV