Wacky world of politics in the Philippines

I rarely talk about politics in this blog but I can’t help but write one whenever I hear outrageous / weird / wacky news about politics and politicians.

Just a week ago, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that in the recount of votes in the gubernatorial seat of Pampanga, losing candidate Lilia Pineda apparently won over proclaimed winner Ed Panlilio. The recount shows that Pineda received 190,729 votes while Panlilio got 188,718 votes.

What makes this more interesting, however, is that the number of votes of another losing candidate, third placer and then incumbent Mark Lapid, was 210,875 — which makes him the winner over the two! Mark Lapid, based on the number of votes, was the real winner! Surprise!

According to the Comelec, Lapid — son of Lito Lapid, action star and Senator (yes, he is senator!) — was not a party to the recount which means the number of votes he got was not changed. Which technically means his 210,875 votes made him the top vote-getter ahead of Panlilio and Pineda.

And yet, according to the Comelec still, he cannot assume the position because he did not file a petition for recount.

Ok, so let’s recap. Comelec recounted the votes and discovered that Panlilio lost to Pineda. How that happened and whether Panlilio cheated his way to the governorship is a mystery. The recount shows that the number of votes they both got were even lower than the votes of the third placer, Mark Lapid, which technically makes Lapid the winner. And yet, he is out of the picture because he is not part of the recount case.

Wow. Amazing turn of events. Only in the Philippines? Yes, only in the wacky world of politics in the Philippines.

Source: Inquirer.net