Protesters told: Walk your talk, respect poll results
If you really love your country, prove it by respecting the results of the May 9 elections. This was the call of a ranking official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) after rallyists gathered anew to protest alleged irregularities in the recently concluded elections.
Police Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon, commander of the PNP's National and Local Elections Task Force, said while protesters cry electoral fraud, they have not presented a single piece of credible evidence to corroborate their claim.
"Without any solid piece of evidence to back these claims, these allegations are not only a disrespect to the electoral process but also to the true spirit of democracy,E said De Leon.
He added that baseless allegations are also a form of insult to the teachers, the soldiers, the policemen, the Coast Guard personnel and other people who worked so hard and sacrificed a lot just to ensure the conduct of peaceful and credible elections.
He then called on the protesters to accept and respect the results of the elections.
“Patunayan ninyo na mahal talaga ninyo ang ating bansa at ito ay nag-uumpisa sa pag-respeto ng resulta ng halalan. Nagsalita na ang taumbayan at maliwanag na ngayon kung sino ang magiging bagong presidente at bagong bise presidente, tanggapin natin ito ng bukal sa ating kalooban dahil ito ang desisyon ng mahigit tatlumpung milyong Pilipinong botante (If you love your country as you claim, prove it as it starts by respecting the results of the elections. It is now clear who the next president and vice president would be. Accept this because this is the decision of more than 30 million Filipino voters),E said De Leon.
“There is no second president or second vice president in the country. We were all given the opportunity to elect one for each position and now that the Filipino people have spoken, we have to respect it because that is how democracy works,” he added.
De Leon, however, stressed that the PNP will observe maximum tolerance in dealing with the protesters, saying this was also emphasized by PNP Officer-in-Charge Police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao.