VOL. XXX NO. 21 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 WEDNESDay : MaRCH 2, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph
Grace: Let’s not preempt tribunal
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‘binay, not poe, is npc’s candidate’
By Christine F. Herrera and Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE founders of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and stalwarts of vote-rich provinces said they will support the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar Binay, openly defying the party leadership’s decision Monday to back independent candidate Senator Grace Poe “We are still for Binay,” said reelectionist Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco, daughter-in-law of business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., founder and chairman
emeritus of the NPC, the country’s second largest political party. Cojuangco and her husband former Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco made the stand on
the same day that NPC spokesman Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, president Isabela Rep. Gior NPC gidi Aggabao and NPC secretary-general Batangas Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza announced the NPC would adopt Poe and her running mate Senator Francis Escudero as their candidates for president and vice president, respectively. The Cojuangcos are cousins of President Benigno Aquino III, whose anointed candidate Manuel Roxas II is the standard bearer of the ruling Liberal Party. But the Cojuangcos have chosen to
support Binay, Roxas’ political archrival instead. Roxas ran and lost to Binay in the 2010 vice presidential race and the two are again squaring off for the presidency in May. Aggabao said the decision was arrived at after months of consultations with their members, 90 percent of whom secretly voted for the Poe-Escudero tandem. In defying the party stand, the Cojuangcos were joined by members of the biggest political clans such as the Dys of Isabela, and the Fuentebellas, Villafuertes and Alfelors of Camarines Sur.
Party leaders must now decide if they will discipline members who do not toe the party line. Mark Cojuangco, who is running for governor of Pangasinan, is the NPC chairman while former governor Alfonso Dy was the party’s former president. Other Binay supporters were the party’s provincial chairmen. In a statement, NPC member and Camarines Sur Rep. Felix William Fuentebella said the NPC leaders were aware of his decision to support Binay and the United Nationalist Alliance slate. Next page
Reply to Dick. This file photograph shows the Supreme Court during a recent session. The high court has thrown out an appeal by the Commission on Elections for more time to answer the demand of former Senator Richard Gordon to provide voters with paper receipts immediately after they vote in the May elections. DANNY PATA
Miriam says she remains in race
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SC tells Comelec to answer Gordon suit By Rey E. Requejo and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Supreme Court junked the appeal of the Commission on Elections for more time to comment on the petition filed by former senator Richard Gordon seeking to compel the poll body to issue
receipts for votes cast during the May 9 national and local elections. During its en banc session Tuesday, the justices denied Comelec’s plea for an extension and gave the poll body only five more days to respond to Gordon’s motion. Gordon’s petition had asked the Court to compel the Comelec to carry out the provisions of the Automated
Election Law, which sets out a paper audit trail as among the minimum requirements for an automated election system, and as a key security feature for vote counting machines. Gordon said the printed receipt allows every voter to confirm whether the machine cast the vote correctly, thereby ensuring the integrity of the Next page elections.