Peping supports people power revolt vs P-Noy

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – Former Tarlac congressman Jose “Peping” Cojuangco is in favor of another people power revolution to oust his nephew, President Aquino, unless he adopts measures to ensure clean elections in 2016.

Several groups have been calling for the resignation of Aquino amid public outrage over the Mamasapano encounter.  

“I am not in favor of a coup,” Cojuangco told The STAR yesterday during inspection of two sites here for the proposed transfer of the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

He said he is supporting calls for a people power revolt against the Aquino administration.

“We did it twice before, so why not?” he said.

The former lawmaker said allowing the President to finish his term without significant electoral reforms would pave the way for another fraudulent election next year.

“Why doesn’t he look into the electoral fraud in the 2013 polls, that’s what I’m saying. They want an election that is rigged and fixed,” Cojuangco said.

His wife, former Tarlac governor Tingting Cojuangco, had earlier cited evidence of electoral fraud in the 2013 automated elections. She lost in her senatorial bid under the opposition party United Nationalist Alliance.

According to him, several officials who won in the last elections should not be holding public office.

Cojuangco is the elder brother of the President’s mother, Corazon Aquino.

He said he would support Aquino to the end of his term only if he adopts measures to ensure honest and clean elections in 2016.

Cojuangco also questioned the credibility of Smartmatic-TIM, which bagged the P1.2-billion contract from the Commission on Elections for the repair of the precinct count optical scan machines to be used in next year’s general elections.

“If we will not have clean, free elections then democracy is dead. All the sacrifices of Ninoy and all those who died for democracy would be useless,” he said.

He appealed to the President to listen to his “bosses” – the public – and hold dialogue with other people outside his circle so he can have two or more opinions.

Cojuangco denied being a member of the National Transformation Council, whose leaders include Catholic bishops demanding the resignation of Aquino.