Elections over but not the count
… 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.