Syjuco cries ‘massive electronic fraud’

AN ELECTION officer checks ballots not read by a PCOS machine in an elementary school. JOSEPH VIDAL

STA. BARBARA, Iloilo—Defeated reelectionist Iloilo Rep. Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco  has questioned the results of the May 13 elections decrying widespread glitches in the compact flash (CF) cards of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.

“We were prepared for all scenarios in the elections but not for massive electronic fraud,” Syjuco told the Inquirer  in an interview.

He said there were “statistical improbabilities” in the election results in his district.

Syjuco, who is facing corruption charges and has a hold-departure order against him, vowed to file a protest in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and push for the examination of CF cards and PCOS machines to determine if their integrity was compromised.

Syjuco, who ran with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for a second term, finished third to Pavia Mayor Arcadio Gorriceta of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) and 1-Care  Rep. Salvador Cabaluna III who ran as an independent candidate.

Gorriceta was proclaimed congressman-elect on May 16 with 56,846 votes, a lead of about 10,000 votes to Cabaluna’s 46,140 votes. Syjuco only had 31,818 votes.

Syjuco said he expected to win by 20,000 votes even after his camp factored in the all-out support of President Aquino for Gorriceta.

He said he historically won by large margins over his opponent in his district, including a margin of 8,869 votes in 1998, 25,094 in 2001 and 36,185 in 2010.

“How can I possibly lose in Sta. Barbara?”  Syjuco said referring to his bailiwick where he was trailing Gorriceta by around 1,000 votes.

He said in a precinct where 24 of his supporters had voted, only 12 votes were recorded in his favor.

The second district is composed of the towns of Alimodian, Leganes,  Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Miguel, Sta. Barbara and Zarraga.

Gorriceta, for his part, credited the support of President Aquino and his sisters—Kris Aquino and Ballsy Aquino-Cruz—for his victory in the polls.

Mr. Aquino visited Iloilo’s second district twice during the campaign period particularly in the town of Pavia on Feb. 21 and on April 10 in Sta. Barbara.

“P-Noy has visited here twice. The Aquino sisters did not just endorse me, but also joined me in visiting the villages. It’s a big factor during my campaign,” he said.

Gorriceta said the voters in the district had also “matured” and were now focused on issues rather than personalities.

In Guimaras, Gov. Felipe Nava has also questioned the results of the elections alleging fraud and vote-buying. He also raised concern on the malfunctioning of PCOS machines.

Nava, who ran for reelection with  UNA, lost to Buenavista Mayor Samuel Gumarin of the LP.  Gumarin had 40,859 votes against Nava’s 36,068 votes while independent candidate Edgardo Junco got 710 votes.