CITY OF SAN FERNANDO? Wearing black to symbolize the ?death of truth,? supporters of priest-turned-governor Ed Panlilio reacted with anger and indignation to his unseating by the Commission on Elections which declared Lilia Pineda the winner of the 2007 gubernatorial election.

Some 700 supporters of Panlilio gathered at the grounds of the provincial capitol for a prayer-vigil that started a few hours after the Comelec?s 2nd Division announced its decision on Thursday.

Priests, nuns, theologians and pastors wore black shirts. Others covered their mouths with a strip of black cloth.

?How can we entrust the election of 2010 to [the Comelec] if it could not be trusted with its count in 2007?? said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.

He said the election commissioners will have quite a lot of explaining to do before people can believe that ?the wife of Bong Pineda, a veteran in patronage politics, was a victim of cheating by a priest candidate, a total neophyte in politics,? David said.

?Very sad, very hurt?

Archbishop Paciano Aniceto said the Comelec?s Feb. 11 ruling declaring Pineda the rightful winner of the election following a recount should not be taken to mean that Panlilio had cheated.

?The governor was not in a financial or political position to cheat or buy votes since he had no funds or political machinery,? said Aniceto, the bishop to whom Panlilio reported as a priest running the Social Action Center of Pampanga for 15 years.

Addressing the vigil, Panlilio said the Comelec ruling made him ?very sad and very hurt.?

?This is not about me but about the people?s crusade. This is a divine crusade because God worked to unite us to work for good changes in our province,? he said.

Surprised

Panlilio said he was surprised that Pineda had taken a lead of 2,011 votes when during the ?appreciation? of the ballots, the ballots written with her nickname ?Nanay Baby? did not even number 100 ballots.

?Kapampangans of good conscience cannot accept these accusations that we cheated our way to victory in 2007. We did not cheat. They are undoing a miracle,? Panlilio said.

Marco Lazatin, Panlilio?s running mate, said it was a ?sad day for democracy in Pampanga.?

Bonifacio Guevarra II, who works at the Clark Freeport, said the decision was a ?clear insult to the Pampanga electorate who stood up and voted for clean and good governance.?

Aurora Broquil of the Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, said that more than a fight against the recount it was a fight against traditional politics.

A crusade

?This is about us Kapampangans and Filipinos. Let us not allow them to change the history we made in 2007. Let us not allow them to stop the good governance crusade now that we are electing more good people in public office,? she said.

Eufronio Ramos, 52, a farmer in San Luis town, said he voted and campaigned for Panlilio in 2007, knowing he would serve the people well.

?He has no capacity to cheat. We who supported him did not have the capacity to cheat because we are poor,? Ramos, 52 said.

Nene Fernandez, a member of the Legion of Mary in Bacolor town, said neither she nor her friends and relatives cheated to make Panlilio win. ?We prayed, that?s what we did,? she said.

Aniceto told the ralliers they should follow due process in expressing their sentiments.

Bigger protest on Feb. 17

?Our people must maintain their dignity as peacemakers and disciples of the gospel,? he said, noting that Panlilio may still appeal the ruling before the Comelec en banc and the Supreme Court.

The ralliers ended the program by singing the ?Kapampangan Ku (I am a Kapampangan),? the anthem of the good governance crusade, with clenched fists.

Artist Andy Alviz also sang a new song of the crusade, ?Abe-Abe tayang isadsad ing krusada (Let?s continue the crusade).?

Panlilio?s supporters plan on mounting a bigger protest on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Business as usual

It was business as usual at the provincial capitol Friday.

Panlilio arrived promptly at 8 a.m. His staff fielded requests for financial assistance.

?I will not leave the capitol unless necessary or unless the Supreme Court asks me to vacate my post on good grounds,? he said.

Pineda has said she was not aiming to take over the capitol.

?Whether I can still sit as governor or not, is not the issue anymore. What is important is our queries on the 2007 elections were answered,? she said.

There was jubilation in the Pineda camp, with a victory party reportedly slated for next week.

?We are happy as well as relieved that finally Comelec, after a long legal process, has declared Baby Pineda as the real winner in the 2007 gubernatorial race in Pampanga,? said Rosve Henson, president of Kambilan group that launched a recall against Panlilio.

?Will of the people?

?The legal process has been followed. Panlilio has been well represented by capable lawyers. This is the will of the people. It?s time to move on and unify the province under the new leadership,? said Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao, who is running with Pineda in 2010.

In Manila, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Francis Pangilinan expressed disbelief at the Comelec decision or that a former priest could be capable of cheating.

?How can (Panlilio) be accused of manipulating elections when he ran as an independent in a province controlled by President Macapagal-Arroyo and her people?? Pimentel said.

Pangilinan said the Comelec?s image, especially in combatting election fraud, would be ?adversely affected? by the ruling against Panlilio.