Youth Party Says Akbayan Stealing Votes : QC IMC

There have been reports of voters lists missing, widespread fraud and terrorism on May 10 – election day. But this one’s different: A party-list group has been accused of trying to steal votes from another.

Anak ng Bayan (nation’s children), the only youth sectoral party running for party list in last Monday’s elections, yesterday accused Akbayan! Citizens Action Party of stealing votes cast for the former.

Reports by Anak ng Bayan poll watchers and volunteers of other progressive party-list groups and allied candidates in Gen. Santos City; Digos, Davao Sur; Cotabato City; Mati, Davao Oriental; and Asuncion, Davao Norte, all in Mindanao; as well as in Metro Manila and other cities said that ballots containing “Anakbayan” in the party-list category were credited to Akbayan instead of Anak ng Bayan.

Anak ng Bayan leaders said this could have been the result of letters sent by Akbayan to the poll body’s boards of election inspectors asking that “Anakbayan,” “Akbay,” “Bayan” and “Akbayan Muna” should be counted in favor of Akbayan. One of such letters was distributed in Gen. Santos City and it was signed by Benjamin Sumog-oy, Akbayan national council member.

Apolinario Alvarez, Anak ng Bayan national president and House first nominee, however said that “Anakbayan” votes should be credited to Anak ng Bayan instead of Akbayan.

Anakbayan, Alvarez said, is one of the founding organizations of Anak ng Bayan youth party. Alvarez is also the incumbent chairperson of Anakbayan.

“Logic dictates that ‘Anakbayan’ votes should be counted as votes for Anak ng Bayan,” he said.

Party-list counsel Neri Colminares warned that Akbayan could be charged with false reporting. “They made it appear it’s [the letter] a Comelec sanction,” he said. “It’s below the belt. To a certain degree, Akbayan tends to influence the BEI.”

In some precincts, “Anakbayan votes” have been classified as “stray votes.”

“Under the law, the sounds alike rule should have been applied. Clearly, Anakbayan sounds closer to Anak ng Bayan than Akbayan,” Colminares said.

Malicious
Akbayan said, “It is clear that Akbayan is doing everything to disqualify and sabotage us.”

Alvarez recalled that Akbayan had filed a petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to order Anak ng Bayan to change its name. Akbayan argued Anak ng Bayan is being misconstrued as Akbayan.

“The timing could not be perfect,” Alvarez noted. “They did that after Anak ng Bayan ranked third in Pulse Asia’s first survey on party list. They wanted us to change our name in the middle of the campaign.”

Alvarez said Anak ng Bayan is totally different from Akbayan. Anak ng Bayan is the only youth sectoral party while Akbayan is a political party. “Akbayan is one word. Anak ng Bayan is three words. Our colors and logos are different. Akbayan is insulting the intelligence of the public,” he said.

Anak ng Bayan consistently made it to top five in all pre-election surveys for party list groups.

Deceiving
Weeks before the election day, Alvarez said, posters that read “Ano ang partido ng kabataan? Siyempre, Akbayan!” (What is the party of the youth? Of course, Akbayan!) were seen posted in many towns.

“Who is riding on the popularity of what party? Akbayan is deceiving the youth and the public. Anak ng Bayan is the only legitimate youth party accredited by Comelec,” Alvarez said.

“(Akbayan House nominee) Etta Rosales and her co-nominees should look at the mirror to stop hallucinating they are still young,” he said. “In fact, Akbayan did not take up a single issue of the youth in their three years in Congress.”

Political slander
Alvarez said Rosales serves as a mouthpiece of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales. Both branded Anak ng Bayan and five other party list groups as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

“We deem all these moves as part of the grand scheme to prevent us and other progressive party lists from taking office in Congress,” Alvarez said.

Anak ng Bayan called on the Comelec and the incumbent administration to act on the matter immediately.