Aquino: Look who’s talking about cheating

Who has a history of cheating?

Visibly irked by the allegations of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that the ruling Liberal Party (LP) is going to embark on massive cheating in tomorrow’s national elections, President Benigno Aquino III reminded the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos of who stole elections when his family was in power.

Speaking to Inquirer editors and reporters in Malacañang on Friday, President Aquino recounted the rigging of the results of the 1978 Interim Batasang Pambansa elections—a time when the Philippines was under martial law.

KBL cheated

Mr. Aquino said people from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) themselves told him and other members of the opposition how they had been cheated by Marcos’ party, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).

The President’s father, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., ran in that election from behind bars, imprisoned by Marcos for challenging the dictatorship.

Never in the history of the LP, “as the longest standing party,” that it cheated in elections, President Aquino said.

Senator Marcos told a news  conference on Friday that he had received information that the LP would cheat him out of the elections for the ruling party’s vice presidential candidate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo.

READ: Marcos warns of admin’s ‘Plan B’ on poll cheating

Robredo has steadily gained support since the campaign began in February.

From 2 percent support, Robredo has climbed to the top spot in the polls, sharing it with Marcos.

‘Eh di wow’

“I’m sorry, but these comments are unworthy of comments,” President Aquino saidwhen told about Marcos’ claim that the administration was getting ready to rob Filipinos of their votes tomorrow.

Mr. Aquino said he actually preferred to answer the senator with an “Eh di wow”—the popular sardonic phrase used by today’s young people.