PMP: Binay lead insurmountable

The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) doubts Senator Mar Roxas can still catch up with its vice presidential bet Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Based on the latest tally, Binay leads Roxas by more than 644,000 votes.

Binay's counsel, Koko Pimentel, said Binay leads in 3 out of 5 certificates of canvass (COCs) that have yet to be counted.

These COCs where Binay supposedly has a wide margin are from Davao, Eastern Samar, and Lanao del Sur.

Pimentel said Binay may end up with a lead of around 700,000 votes over the Liberal Party's bet once the remaining COCs are canvassed.

"Our lead is insurmountable. Imposible ng mahabol, alam na namin ang resulta ng remaining COC's. Binay's lead represents his strength as a candidate," he said.

Another lawyer for Binay, Atty. Sandra Coronel, called on Roxas to be true to the LP's slogan of "country above self" by no longer insisting that there was fraud in the vice-presidential race. She said the Roxas camp should just present its evidence.

LP's requests likely to be denied

Meanwhile, the LP will still push for the manual audit of the millions of null votes in the tight vice presidential contest.

But the joint canvassing committee has said this is already unlikely.

Lawmakers will instead finish tallying the last 5 COCs on Monday so that the next president and vice president can be proclaimed.

The Liberal Party is still hoping they can convince the members of the joint canvassing committee to open the compact flash (CF) cards from several areas in order to examine the null votes of the vice presidential race, which reached some 2.5 million votes.

An LP source said they will talk to several senators and congressmen to push for their request.

But if the voting in Thursday night's committee caucus is any basis, the request of Roxas' camp for a manual audit will not be approved.

Sources said another request of the LP, which is to proclaim the president first before the vice president, will also not be granted.

Only Senators Francis Pangilinan and Rodolfo Biazon, and Congressmen Roilo Golez and Neptali Gonzales are agreeable to examining the null votes for vice president and proclaiming the president first.

Another source in the committee also said it is not the job of the National Board of Canvassers to examine the CF cards.

The committee will formally vote on the requests on Monday, and hopefully proclaim the country's next president and vice president by Tuesday night.