Elections over but not the count

Teddy Locsin, Jr.

… It is said that any irregularities or peculiarities in the conduct or count of the automated election, must be substantiated by those who point them out. Only idiots say that. The only duty of voters is to point out seeming irregularities—and immediately the onus shifts to the COMELEC to explain them away—but never, never, never to brush them off. It is possible that after trying in vain to eliminate the tremendous lead of Duterte, by knocking out VCMS in parts of Mindanao, Visayas, Luzon, and all of Metro Manila including Quezon City, the cheaters gave up. They turned their attention to lesser positions like the VP and the Senate, Congress and local officials. But if we leave it at that, then basically we should hold incontestably honest elections only for the president and let him appoint all the rest. That would be cheaper.

No, the burden is entirely on the COMELEC to answer each and every concern. No burden lies on the suspicious to substantiate their suspicions. But what about the presumption of innocence? Doesn’t that extend to the COMELEC? Sure, if you went to a lousy local law school. The presumption of innocence does not apply to institutions nor to anything or anybody else but an individual accused until he is found guilty beyond all reasonable doubt in a court of law after a fair trial.

What about the lesser presumption of governmental regularity? Again, if you went to the right law school that does not mean that government acts are presumptively regular. It merely begs the question whether government acts are regular when the irregular is the new normal like now.

So by all means demand the answers to all objections, allay all fears, dispel all suspicions, and if need be recount the vice presidential election—and if you ask me the senatorial as well. Because a republic cannot long live with a fundamental mistrust of itself, with the self-consuming suspicion that people en banc are laughing behind their ample sleeves all the way to the bank.

Comments

  1. manuelbuencamino

    It goes without saying that the race o=is too close to call so we must wait for the official count before we throw out allegations of cheating, specially allegations based on the unofficial count. Intrigera talaga yan si Teddy Boy.

    Napaka-simple, wait for the official count and if you don’t agree then file a protest.

    Sasakay pa ba tayo sa mga eck-eck about trending and mind-conditioning? Eh both sides could be playing that game. Si Teddy Boy sumali sa mind-conditioning na baka may cheating. Wait for the official count and then do what you think is necessary. Enough of this haka-haka. Makes me wonder what he learned at the “right” law school he attended. :-)

  2. “COMELEC IS FOR SALE”: I, Drei Toledo, daughter and niece of Leftists and human rights victims during the Martial Law Era, believe in democracy. I will not allow my family’s pain and history to be used as a convenient justification to cheat a Marcos. My loyalty is to TRUTH, and not to any political personality.

    I believe we must learn from the lessons of our history as a nation.
    Democracy dictates that we honor the voice of the people. If that means giving another Marcos a chance to redeem his family’s name, then so be it. If that means having a wonderful woman with the signature Tsinelas Leadership of Leni Robredo become Vice President, then so be it. What matters is we all stand for TRUTH, and not rabidly defend whichever candidate we voted for.

    Electoral fraud is happening not only in the VP race but also in the Senate and LGU race.

    Please stop bullying our fellow intellectuals David Yap and Antonio Contreras. They do not share their data set and data analysis out of malice. We all have our own biases. But our loyalty must be to TRUTH. Let’s help each other fight for what true democracy stands for. Let’s respect each other, and build on each other’s findings, and not piss on each other’s academic credentials. Nakakalungkot po yung ganon.
    Yung tipong may mare-receive akong mga PM asking:

    “Hello, Drei. Sorry, but your friend tagged me sa stat mo. I just wanna ask, what level are you on in terms of mathematical expertise? How good are you at math? And what is your mathematical foundation?”

    My journalism thesis is about why Mathematics MUST be reintegrated and made MANDATORY in the B.A. Journalism curriculum of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. I come from a science high school specializing in math. I am not a math wizard like some of my classmates but I have an above average aptitude to make me a more competent investigative journalist. I took up Maths, Statistics, and Economics as electives in college, none of which were required while I was studying Journalism. I do not pretend to be a statistician, but I do know what it’s like to have a gun pointed to my head, and to be dragged into the office of a powerful politician, all because COMELEC put me in their hit list of journalists that cannot be bribed. I also know what it’s like to eat death threats for breakfast. I know violence behind elections firsthand. So if you will challenge me with your “theories” defending the integrity of COMELEC, honey, you’re challenging the wrong bitch.

    COMELEC is for sale. I stand by that. And I will not be intimidated or bullied by haters and naysayers.

    Pu?eta! Lumabas kaya kayo sa mga ivory tower nyo?!! Puro kayo satsat.
    https://www.facebook.com/drei.toledo/posts/10154110413991768?pnref=story

  3. Batang Genyo-Ala-eh

    I share the sentiments of Ms. Toledo but I dont think that’s the way to prove the integrity of statistical evaluations as expressed by David Yap & co… Any interpretation of data is always subject to “scientific biased” unless the methodology can be proven otherwise.