There is a saying in the Philippine political scene that when you
lost chances are you’ve been cheated.
The opposition Liberal Party led coalition Otso Diretso , despite
being clearly and convincingly shutdown in the mid term election raised a howl
that they have been cheated- and it has raised the issue with the Smartmatic
Vote counting Machines (VCM’s).
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
while still in Japan to attend the Nikkei Conference
on the Future of Asia made an advise to the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and that is to let go of the services of
Smartmatic in the country's automated elections.
 |
| (photo credit to PCOO) |
"I
would like to advise Comelec now --- hindi ko na lang hintayin (I'll just not
wait for it) --- dispose of that Smartmatic and look for a new one that is free
of fraud," Pres. Duterte said in his speech during his meeting with the
Filipino community in Tokyo.
The
President said there have been allegations of cheating and that it has been rampant
from both sides of the political parties.
"Kasi
ang Liberal (Party) sabi
nila nadaya sila. Ako sabi nila nadaya rin (The
Liberal Party said they were cheated. People also say I was cheated)," he
said.
Since
the next national election is still 3 years away,the president said COMELEC has
ample time to look for a new service provider in the next national elections.
"You
know it’s creating an environment of hostile attitude against that Smartmatic.
You have three years. Kakatapos lang ng election
(Elections have just concluded). Palitan na ninyo
kasi (Replace it because) it is no
longer acceptable to me, to the people, and even to the congressmen who are
here," he said.
He adds that the public has no more trust in Smartmatic.
"Iyong
boto ng Pilipino hindi nabibilang nang totoo (The votes of the Filipinos
are not counted accurately)," he said.
Duterte
said he can only advise the Comelec because it is an independent Constitutional
body.
"I
am now asking you as a co-equal body. It’s just promoting turmoil please do not
use it," he said.
What can you say about this?
Share
us your thoughts by simply leaving on the comment section below. For more news
updates, feel free to visit our site often.
Stay
updated with today's relevant news and trends by hitting the LIKE button.
Thanks
for dropping by and reading this post.
Report from PNA
0 Comments