LRay lauds Comelec for ‘speedy’ transmittal of votes
CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has lauded the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the speedy transmittal of voting results of the May 9 polls that has buttressed the credibility of presidential elections that will make presumptive President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. the first-ever, post-EDSA candidate who has won by a clear majority of Filipinos who had cast their votes.
“While there were isolated cases of poll-day hitches, the conduct of this year’s national and local elections was generally faster and more efficient than in past computerized polls, leading to a highly credible balloting that has settled without doubt the victory of a presidential candidate who a majority of Filipino voters want to lead our country back to its path of high and inclusive growth, following the double whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Villafuerte said.
He said, “The generally peaceful and orderly elections plus the subsequent speedy transmittal of the voting results have helped prop up the resounding win of presidential candidate Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (BBM) who has won by an unprecedented 31 million-plus votes or an overwhelming lead of at least 16 million votes over his rivals for the presidency.”
“The outcome of the latest elections prove that the three key elements of success are preparation, preparation, and preparation,” said Villafuerte in reference to the Comelec’s claim that the speedy pace of the quick count was a result of the poll watchdog’s preparations, including the holding of VCMs (vote-counting machines) stress tests, repair of transmission ports and early procurement of data centers.
In Camarines Sur, for instance, the relatively faster quick count has enabled the Comelec to proclaim within 24 hours of the end of voting many of the candidates, including Villafuerte, who was reelected congressman in the second district; three-term Gov. Miguel Luis “Migz” Villafuerte who was elected as House representative for the 5th district, and young entrepreneur Vincenzo Renato “Luigi” Villafuerte as governor.
Hence, Villafuerte appealed for national unity following the highly polarized May 9 balloting and called on all Filipinos to rally behind the presumptive President “who is the clear choice of a majority of our voters. All of us have more reason to support the next Philippine leader, given that he is apparently the first contender in a post-EDSA presidential contest who has won by a clear majority of those who had actually voted. In contrast, all past post-EDSA Presidents only won by a plurality of the votes cast.”
He said that, as relayed by the BBM camp, the presumptive President wants our people to “judge” him not by his ancestors but by his own actions and has promised to be the President of both those who had voted for him and those who did not and in keeping with his central campaign message of unity to seek common ground in working together to unite the nation.
“With his key pronouncements during the presidential campaign season, I am confident that BBM would genuinely pursue a political and economic agenda that would restore us back to the path of high and inclusive growth after it stumbled across speed bumps over the past two years as a result of the once in a century pandemic and, later, the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Villafuerte said.
“I believe BBM’s heart is in the right place and that he would hit the ground running in pursuing such a pro-poor, pro-growth agenda by seeking national consensus behind programs and projects that would accelerate poverty reduction and build on the initiatives of the incumbent administration in further liberalizing our economy to attract more FDIs (foreign direct investments) and create more and quality jobs,” he added.
Villafuerte further said, “I am also calling on the incoming batch of lawmakers in both the Senate and the House to work with our incoming President in crafting legislation in the 19th Congress that would support the would be Administration’s agenda to improve our people’s living standards and sustain the domestic economy’s high growth trajectory. By RYAN PONCE PACPACO
