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 of the Republic of the Philippines!) — was not a party to the recount which means the number of votes he got was not changed.
And yet, according to the Comelec, 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 also shows that the individual number of votes gotten by Pineda and Panlilio were even lower than the votes received by Mark Lapid, the third placer. Merely judging by the number of votes received, Mark Lapid should have won the race. But 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
Pampanga local elections: Wacky world of politics
About the Author
PSEi support seen at 6,200 and 6,000 amid weaker Peso
In a not-so-surprising move, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) yesterday raised interest rates by 75 basis points (bps) or 0.75% in a bid to tame rising inflation in the United States. This was the third consecutive 0.75% rate hike by the Fed, which brings the federal funds rate, the central bank’s benchmark interest rate, to ... Read more
Official SWIFT Code of BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Philippine banks
When sending cash remittances or wire transfer to a bank account in the Philippines (such as BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Landbank, DBP, etc.), you’ll surely need the SWIFT Code of the bank. Look no further because you can find all the SWIFT Codes you need in this list! Make sure you’re using the right bank code ... Read more
How to Waive your Credit Card Annual Fee (BDO, BPI, Metrobank, RCBC, Citibank, UnionBank)
Without a doubt, one of the most annoying fees that credit cardholders have to pay is the annual fee. Majority of cardholders are familiar with this fee and majority of us likely pay this grudgingly year after year after year. In the case of my credit card with BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands), I’m ... Read more
Why Filipinos do not become business owners or entrepreneurs
For a majority of Filipinos, entrepreneurship does not seem to be a typical, expected path. This is not surprising, considering that in school, students are primarily taught to become employees after graduation. Students train for years to become staff workers, reporting to a supervisor, and just waiting to receive their wages or salaries every month. ... Read more
My experience investing in Mutual Funds in the Philippines
I started investing in mutual funds when I was 22 years old. As an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) then, I was fortunate to be able to save some money at that young age because of my work abroad. One time while I was on vacation in the Philippines, I saw a large billboard in EDSA ... Read more
Income Tax Tables in the Philippines (2022)
The Philippines’ new tax reform bill, known as TRAIN or Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, was signed into law on December 19, 2017 and its implementation began on January 1, 2018. What are the new income tax rates under the TRAIN law? How will TRAIN affect income taxes of individuals and corporations? How is the ... Read more
PSE Stocks Performance under each Philippine President (1987-2021)
Did you know that Philippine stocks were able to achieve an astounding growth of 800% in a span of 30 years? From 1987 until 2018, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose from 1,000 points to a peak of 9,000 points — generating a return of 800% over 30 years. (The PSEi is an index ... Read more
SSL 2022: Salary Increases for Teachers, Nurses, Gov’t Employees
Good news to all government employees! There’s a new round of salary increases beginning January 1, 2022! Millions of employees of the Philippine government — including public school teachers, nurses and staff of government hospitals, and workers in local and national government agencies, etc. — will be getting an automatic salary adjustment this 2022 under ... Read more
PSE Trading Hours in 2022: What time open, when closed?
Before you take the plunge into stock trading and investing, make sure you understand what stocks are and how the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) operates. Unlike other investments that are relatively safe, stock trading is risky and loss of money is a possibility. So before you deep dive into the exciting world of stock trading, ... Read more
Price Floor and Price Ceiling of PSE Stocks
Trading bands in the PSE come in two forms: Price Ceiling, or the upper price limit, and Price Floor, or the lower price limit.
Wacky is an understatement. The word is even endearing in a sick sort of way.
I prefer the adjectives Ruthless,
Cutthroat and/or Machiavellian.
It may sound stupid to us since we are basically outside the aquarium looking in
through the glass of the media.
Leaving personal opinions off the table, the best logical conclusion that we could
derive is simply that “COMELEC cannot be trusted.”
But since it is the only electoral body
mandated by the Constitution to handle matters involving our Right of Suffrage,
we as spectators have no alternate recourse but to continue to distrust it and/or
complain to the non hearing and/or file an independent inquiry in a government
body with oversight functions – which could take years rendering any relevant decision moot and academic. But that is the only productive recourse save an armed uprising.
We rant and complain because they know that we cannot do anything.
Philippines has the most wildest form of politics all over the world.
.-= Diabetis´s latest blog ..Diabetes Drug Related to Heart Disease =-.
…STUPID is the right word for that… and to think that they only finished resolving this case 3 months before the next election, wow, di kinaya…
politics in the philippines is the most chaotic i’ve ever seen. they really spend billions for advertising that’s how it works. the more visible you are the more votes you get
.-= Harvz´s latest blog ..Avoiding Slow Investments – part 3 =-.
Hahahaha hands down politics in the Philippines is funny, weird, abnormal and anything you can think of…. thats why we are different…. hay..
I’ve heard of this but didn’t know about the part regarding Lapid.
That’s just plain stupidity.
Comelec did a recount but since the winning party didn’t spend a dime for the recount, he won’t be declared winner. LOL
Pera-pera lang talaga sa Pinas…
However, it makes me think.
1. What caused the wrong counting in the first place?
2. It’s only counting for 1 province and yet it took almost 3yrs to finish?
3. I heard Panlilio won’t vacate the seat. Why ever not?
This really paints Panlilio a dark image.