BANTAY PILIPINAS

California, USA

May 14, 2010

National Victory? Local Defeats, Political Dynasties Consolidates.

Los Angeles- BANTAY PILIPINAS correspondents and media news broke the sad news that political dynasties and hweteng lords defeated the good guys in the last elections. This while there was wide spread rejoicing over the national victory of the LP.

Isabela Gov. Maria Gracia Cielo “Grace” Padaca and Pampanga Gov. Eddie “Among Ed” Panlilio—who both had to contend with politically entrenched families—were among the casualties in the country’s first automated national elections. This is the local level.

Questioning her loss to Rep. Faustino Dy III in the gubernatorial race, Padaca on Friday said: “I weep for Isabela … Padaca, a crusader broadcaster was swept to power by the people's mandate.

BANTAY PILIPINAS further said." The event in Isabela, Pampanga and other places just shows that elections are just deodorizers for a rotting system. We cannot hope for systemic change even with an automated elections. Sad to say, it will be just be used to legimitized the rule of the warlord and capitalist dynasties that rules over the country for centuries."

Speaking at the Governor’s Palace, Padaca, a Liberal Party candidate, said she planned to ask the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate reports of vote-buying and the black propaganda that was used against her during the campaign.

“The Dys and the Albanos outdid themselves a hundred times over sa pagsalaula sa eleksiyon (in making a mockery of the elections),” she said. The Dys and the Albano are the warlord families that ruled Isabela with an iron hand from 1972 to the present.

Dy, an administration candidate, was proclaimed gubernatorial winner on Thursday night, along with running mate Rodolfo Albano III.

Irrecincilable differences

Padaca lost by 3,438 votes. She garnered 271,319 votes while Dy got 274,757. In 2004, Padaca burst into national headlines when she defeated Dy’s brother, former Gov. Faustino Dy Jr., in the gubernatorial fight, ending the clan’s 34-year hold on the provincial capitol.

In 2007, she defeated former Gov. Benjamin Dy, but her victory was overturned by the Comelec last December after a recount. She later filed an appeal. This again shows the travesty in the so called electoral tribunals that conducts recounts and overtursn people's decision.

Winner Dy brushed off Padaca’s charges. “If we bought and harassed voters, I could have won by a landslide,” he said. He offered to reconcile with Padaca and other rivals.

“How can you reconcile black and white?” Padaca told reporters.

Padaca was ahead by at least 3,000 votes on Thursday afternoon before votes from Angadanan and Palanan towns allowed Dy to slip past her. Angadanan and Palanan are controlled by local warlord families that like Dy controlled the local families ford decades.

Meanwhile defeated governatorial candidate Among Ed said: “I would love to return to active priesthood and I believe (my three bishops) will accept me back,” Panlilio, 57, said. “I just hope that when I’m accepted, I will be given the freedom to be engaged in a positive way by helping civil society attain social transformation.”

He said he was taking that track because the “Church should be at the service of the people.”

Hweteng ( Numbers Game/Lotto) Queen Lilia Pineda was proclaimed newly elected Pampanga governor on Wednesday night. She captured 488,521 votes or 65.98 percent of the total. Panlilio got 242,367.

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