It’s not over.
Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano has rejected the claim made by her rival, defeated mayoral candidate Dante Tiñga, that she has abandoned her petition with the Supreme Court which questioned the Commission on Election (Comelec) order for the retrieval of ballot boxes from city hall to pave the way for a recount.
“(Former Justice) Tiñga is once again distorting the truth,” Cayetano’s spokesperson, Darwin Icay, said.
In a statement, he explained that they were just waiting for Comelec to settle several issues first before they seek relief from the high tribunal.
These were the inventory of compact flash (CF) cards; technical examination of the CF cards, PCOS machines, ballots and election returns; clarification as to the intent, extent and consequences of the order to collect ballots; and clarification on whether revision or recount of ballots will be done.
Icay said the issues were “procedurally intertwined” with the matters Cayetano wanted to raise before the high court.
According to him, it was important that these be resolved first because they affect “not only the integrity of the ballots but of the electoral process as well.”
Earlier, the mayor’s camp filed a manifestation with the high court in which they said they were abandoning their appeal on the Comelec decision for the retrieval of ballot boxes in line with Tinga’s electoral protest.
Tiñga said this meant that Cayetano had given up the legal battle for the retrieval of the ballot boxes. He then urged Comelec and law enforcement agencies to implement the poll body’s order.
Comelec representatives were supposed to retrieve the contested ballot boxes from Feb. 20 to 23 but this did not push through after the Taguig City government blocked the roads leading to city hall.