Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas in Landslide Win in USA’s Midwest Overseas-Absentee Voting

By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO (JGLi) – Partial and unofficial tallies of the Filipino Overseas Absentee Voting in the three precincts in the Philippine Consulate in Chicago, Illinois give Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III, and Manuel “Mar” A. Roxas lopsided wins after more than 24 hours of canvassing of votes.

New Consul General Leo M. Herrera-Lim, one of the chairmen of Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) in one of the three precincts in the Chicago Philippine Consulate, said Mr. Aquino of the Liberal Party polled 945 votes in the complete returns of the three precincts. He is being trailed by a far second, Sec. Gilberto “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. of Lakas Kampi CMD Coalition with 183 votes.

Bringing up the rear were Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party with 151 votes while Sen. Richard J. Gordon of Bagumbayan Party with 111 votes.

Liberal Party’s vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas topped the race by getting 1,076 votes while Bayani F. Fernando of the Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines Party had 134 votes and PDP-Laban Party’s Jejomar C. Binay had 111 votes.

In the senatorial lineup, former Senate President Franklin M. Drilon led five other members of the Liberal Party in getting into the magic 12. Mr. Drilon got 1,058 votes followed by Ralph G. Recto with 937 votes; Teofisto D. Guingona, III, 803 votes; Sonia M. Roco with 730 votes, Ana Theresa H. Hontiveros-Baraquel, with 687 votes; and Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy B. Biazon, 208.

Other senatorial candidates in the winning column were Miriam P. Defensor Santiago of People’s Reform Party, 821 votes; Independent’s Sergio D. Osmena, III, 739; Nacionalista Party’s Pilar Juliana S. Cayetano, 697 votes; Ramon “Bong” B. Revilla, Jr., of Lakas-Kampi CMD, 486; Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, 483, of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino party; Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., 132, of the Nacionalista Party, 441; and Jose P. De Venecia, III, of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, with 437.

Out of the 556 votes in the three precincts, 450 were valid votes while 106 were invalid votes.

Deputy Consul General Orontes V. Castro, one of chairmen of Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) in the consulate said, to be invalid, a ballot should show that the voter used the envelope other than “officially prescribed envelope of the COMELEC”; failure to affix the thumb mark in the ballot coupon; failure to affix signature in the space provided in the “Official Ballot Envelope”; and mails which are post-marked were received after six o’clock in the morning on May 10, 2010.

T here were also about 60 more ballot envelopes that were received past deadline of 6 a.m. May 10, 2010, Chicago time and were treated as invalid votes.

Leading the Party List vote-getter is Gabriela with 95 votes and Bayan Muna with 40 votes.

Only the Liberal Party has poll watchers in Monday’s election. The rest of the party did not have any. The poll watchers were Marlon L. Pecson, Carlos Cortes, Jr. and Manny Zambrano.

Mr. Pecson said Filipino overseas voters in Chicago consulate have been “bellweather for presidency.” In 2004, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won as president in Chicago as Mrs. Arroyo also won the presidency for that election year.

The polling precincts started canvassing at 6 a.m. Monday, synchronized with the 7 p.m. Monday start of the canvassing in the Philippines.

 
The entire staff of the consulate was on hand to act as officers of Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG), SBEI and poll clerks.

Atty. Loida Nicolas Lewis said Senators Aquino and Roxas also lead in the canvassing of votes in New York but she did not provide additional details.

She said the total Filipino registered voters in the United States is 250,000, which could affect the close outcomes between leading Makati Mayor Binay over Senator Roxas in the vice presidential race and the 12th place in the senatorial contest.  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)  # # #