ROXAS WINS BIG IN PANGASINAN, PAMPANGA
270,000 LEAD TO CUT RIVAL'S SLIM HEADSTART

Based on official certificates of canvass (CoCs) gathered by the Liberal Party and the Aquino-Roxas Bantay Balota poll watch group, LP vice-presidential candidate Senator Mar Roxas won by close to 270,000 votes over Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in two Luzon provinces.

LP General Campaign Manager Florencio "Butch" Abad said municipal COCs obtained by the ARBB volunteer group showed that Roxas led over Binay by 192,659 votes in Pampanga while the tally in Pangasinan gave the LP bet a 76,508 vote-lead over the PMP bet.

In the Pampanga tally, Roxas got a total of 413,016 votes, or 47.20% of the total votes cast, while Binay only got 220,357 votes, or 25.18%. Third-placer Loren Legarda garnered 14.81% or a total vote of 129,569.

Roxas also led in vote-rich Pangasinan, getting a total of 517,563 votes or 42.04% of the total votes cast, while Binay got 441,055 votes, or 35.82%.

"These are accurate figures because these came from the Election Results and Certificates of Canvass that the Liberal Party, as the dominant minority party, is entitled to get. The so-called United Opposition and the Partido ng Masang Pilipino do not have access to these documents. The figures that Binay are showing are either fabrications or at best, tainted and therefore, inaccurate," Abad said.

The LP, as the dominant minority party in the May 10 national and local elections, has direct access to the main server of the Commission on Elections and is entitled to a copy of the Election Returns and the Certificates of Canvass, which will be used by the congressional National Board of Canvassers for its official canvassing of the votes cast for the presidential and vice presidential race.

"These are just from two provinces. We expect to get higher margins in our strongholds," Abad said, reiterating initial data culled by the Aquino-Roxas Bantay Balota showed that Roxas heavily beat Binay in Regions 6 and 7.

Internal vote monitors of the Aquino-Roxas campaign have said Roxas would surge past Binay in the vice presidential race once votes from Region 6, which is composed of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental, and Region 7, comprised of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, are included in the tally.

Reports coming from the ground show that Roxas' performance in the 10 provinces is estimated to at least 3.5 million, while Binay cornered only 1.3 million votes, which translates to a 2.18 million vote-lead.

Abad and other LP officials remained confident that once all votes are officially tallied by Congress, Roxas would cut Binay's slim lead of 800,000 and land the vice presidency.

Also, Abad renewed his appeal to parties concerned to stop trumpeting their pre-mature victory, stressing that winners of both the presidential and vice presidential elections could only be proclaimed once Congress - convening jointly to become the National Board of Canvassers - has completed its official canvass.