Protest staged at Comelec over poll results
A group led by running priest Robert Reyes gathered in front of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) headquarters in Intramuros, Manila to protest the results of the election count which, as of posting time, was ongoing.
According to Reyes, there is no denying that the counting of ballots for the 2022 national elections was very swift. "Pero malinis ba? (Was the counting process clean)," he said in a short interview with the press.
"Patunayan niyo sa amin na malinis. Kasi ang bilis e. Hindi ba ang eleksyon noong araw, matagal. Ngayon tapos na agad? (Prove to us that it is clean because it was so swift. Wasn't the election back in the day, long. Now it's over right away)?" said Reyes.
He claimed it was easier to cheat with electronic devices.
"All it takes is just one program," Reyes pointed out..
Just days before the elections, Reyes together with other Church leaders belonging to the Clergy for the Moral Choice (CMC) marched to the Palacio del Gobernador and celebrated Mass in front of the Comelec headquarters to demand that the poll body carry out a "clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful" elections.
The CMC, a group composed of about 1,400 Catholic bishops, priests and deacons launched last April, endorsed the candidacies of Vice President Maria "Leonor" Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan.
They warned the poll body that "God is watching you" and so are the Filipino people.
Reyes encouraged Filipinos "to fix our gaze on the Comelec because they need to be reminded to do their constitutional and sacred mandate to preserve the integrity of elections by counting the votes with objectivity, transparency and fairness.
Just hours after the closing of voting centers on Monday, the results of the historic Philippine elections were immediately made known through online and broadcast media outfits even before the Comelec commenced with its official tabulation of the results at the national level.
Source: TheManila Times
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