Full manual recount sought in Biliran

MANILA, Philippines - A Catholic group in Biliran province wants a full manual count of votes cast for the recent automated elections in their lone congressional district.

Sister Erlinda Lanigao of the Sisters for Christian Community in the Diocese of Naval town has spearheaded a movement, the “Biliran Kawsa” (A Cause for Biliran), for a vote recount, saying election results might have been rigged.

She said religious and lay people do not trust election results from the automatic ballot counting system, adding some human interventions and technical glitches might have picked the wrong winner, and not the actual winner.

Stressing she is not a supporter of then Rep. Glen Chong, she noted official reports that Rep. Rodolfo Espina was proclaimed by the provincial board of canvassers as the winner in the absence of election returns from other municipalities.

“I am (politically) neutral. I cannot just sit down and allow cheating to continue. Chong and Espina are just the consequence of this action,” she said.

Chong, a lawyer, garnered 39,659 votes against Espina’s 40,010.