Zubiri overtakes Pimentel in Pagalungan town by 476 votes

Administration senatorial bet Juan Miguel Zubiri has overtaken opposition candidate Aquilino Pimentel III by 476 votes in Pagalungan, Maguindanao, latest tally from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed. Based on Friday’s tally by the poll body's Special Municipal Board of Canvassers, covering 38 Pagalungan precincts, Zubiri garnered 1,216 votes while Pimentel bagged 740 votes. The tally results were posted outside Comelec’s session hall in Intramuros, Manila. If figures from Pagalungan will be added to the votes previously garnered by the two rival candidates, Zubiri’s total lead over Pimentel would be 1,562. Based on the media’s tally of partial, uncombined canvass results from the Comelec, Zubiri’s total votes as of Friday is 10,975,013. His total votes are composed of the following: 10,970,861 votes based on Comelec’s official canvass report no. 28 dated June 29 plus 3,616 votes from Shariff Kabunsuan province, plus Pagalungan’s 1,216 votes and minus 680 votes from Tamparan, Lanao del Sur wrongly credited to Zubiri by the Comelec, Meanwhile, Pimentel’s total votes based on the media’s tally of uncombined canvass results from Comelec is 10,973,451. This is composed of the following: 10,971,362 votes from June 29’s report no. 28; 1,349 votes from Shariff Kabunsuan; and 740 votes from Pagalungan. In the Pagalungan tally, administration senatorial bet Jamalul Kiram received the most number of votes, which stood at 2,732, followed by Antonio Trillanes with 1,911 votes. Sen. Trillanes did not get any votes from Maguindanao in the previous tally. The other candidates who made it to the top 12 in Pagalungan were Cesar Montano, 1,511; Francis Joseph Escudero, 1,448; Gregorio Honasan, 1,370; Edgardo Angara, 1,267; Panfilo Lacson, 1,214; Alan Peter Cayetano, 1,202; Francis Pangilinan, 1,131; Manuel Villar, 1,081; and Benigno Simeon Aquino III, 1,067. Pimentel was on the 20th slot. The canvassed Pagalungan votes are expected to be forwarded to the National Board of Canvassers on Monday. George Garcia, counsel for Zubiri, said the former Bukidnon representative's lead is the reflection of the election in other areas in Maguindanao. "It only strengthens our claim that Maguindanao is an administration bailiwick," he said. He added that Pagalungan is the "best indication" that no irregularities took place in Maguindanao. Garcia said it is not right to say that only Pagalungan has the authentic documents just because these were the only election returns seen by the opposition lawyers. "The way to determine (that) is to go back to the election returns." Meanwhile, Leila de Lima, counsel for Pimentel, said on Friday that they would use the Pagalungan election returns to substantiate their claim that canvassed votes from Maguindanao were manufactured. Pimentel on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court anew to stop the Comelec's proclamation of 12th senatorial winner. He also asked the high tribunal to allow him to substantiate his claims that canvassed votes from Maguindanao came from manufactured documents. De Lima said Maguindanao's first and second canvassing were based on manufactured election documents. "Those who supposedly received zero votes in Maguindanao have votes from 38 precincts of Pagalungan, to think that this is not the entire municipality." All the senatorial candidates who got zero in the contested Maguindanao certificate of canvass (COC) now have votes in the province after the partial canvass of municipal tally results by the SMBOC. GO candidates Lacson, Aquino, Cayetano, Anna Dominique "Nikki" Coseteng, John Osmeña, and Sonia Roco; Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) bets Eduardo Orpilla, Oliver Lozano, Felix Cantal, Joselito Cayetano, Victor Wood, Mel Chavez, Ruben Enciso, Antonio Estrella; independent Richard Gomez; and Ang Kapatiran's Martin Bautista, Zosimo Paredes and Adrian Sison finally notched votes in Maguindanao. Trillanes also got zero in the COC presented by Bedol but eventually took some votes after the recanvassing. De Lima said the documents brought by the Pagalungan board of election inspectors looked authentic because the security marks were there. "This strengthens our case. Hindi naman pala zero. Ito lang ang may boto (na nakuha ang mga opposition candidates) dahil ito lang ang mayroong election returns na nakita," she said. She said that in other municipalities, no election return was shown or seen by the parties. The election returns in Pagalungan is "one good reason for the National Board of Canvassers to go back to the election returns (of other Maguindanao towns)," according to the lawyer. - GMANews.TV