In a press statement, the office said the recount pushed through after six years of waiting as the Supreme Court put an end to Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano’s moves to block Taguig’s cityhood.
An unofficial final count based on actual revision showed that 16,004 voted for the cityhood of Taguig while 13,125 were not in favor of the move. Eight hundred sixty nine ballot boxes were opened in the recount. Several ballot boxes were found to contain spoiled ballots due to water damage.
Taguig Mayor Freddie Tiñga is thankful that the real outcome of the 1998 cityhood plebiscite has prevailed.
"Taguig is now getting due recognition that is why the local government and our people are working doubly hard to make Taguig the premier development area in Metro Manila," Tiñga said.
Cayetano initially tried to block the holding of the plebiscite by securing a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court.
Upon the intervention of pro-cityhood advocates, the plebiscite pushed through on April 25, 1998.
The Comelec ruled that the "no" votes won and on Oct. 16, 1998, a petition for the revision and recount of the ballots was filed by Ma. Salvacion Buac and Antonio Bautista with the Comelec.
Cayetano sought to block the recount.
It will be recalled that the Supreme Court, in an en banc decision penned by Associate Justice Reynato Puno last Jan. 26, 2004 directed the Comelec to reinstate the petition to annul the results of the 1998 plebiscite allegedly rejecting the cityhood of Taguig and to decide it without delay by means of a recount of ballots.
A motion for reconsideration was then filed by Cayetano on Feb. 18, 2004 to block the recount, saying that Comelec does not have the power and authority to resolve the issue, which is, in the nature of an "election protest."
In an en banc decision dated Feb. 24, 2004, the High Court denied with finality Cayetano’s motion to stop the recount of ballots.