Why Cebu is different from the rest

(via MLQ3) From The Magnificent Atty. Perez:

In Cebu (the totality of Cebu City and Cebu Province), we stand out from most of the country in the fact that the administration prevailed in our votes. Eight Team Unity candidates entered the Magic Dozen, while the rest of the spots went to three Genuine Opposition candidates, and one Independent. Those were more or less, the real votes cast by Cebu, contrary to claims made by the Genuine Opposition who are quick to remind the nation of the “Hello Garci” incident. I speak from my own experience, since I was very much involved in the canvassing of votes at both the local and national levels as one of the watchers and I can tell you honestly that although I did see for my own eyes certain tampered certificates of canvass in Cebu affecting the national votes, these occurred only in one municipality, and a few isolated precincts. All of these tampered COC’s were in far-flung places which were under the strict control of certain local candidates. More or less, the cebu votes reflect the real pulse of the Cebuano electorate.

When I went to Manila for the national canvassing, I was able to talk to people there who asked me for the Cebu results. When they saw the COC that I brought with me, three people in three separate instances all said the same thing, “The Cebuanos are very discerning voters.”

I thought the Cebu voters are definitely pro-Arroyo, although not as pro-Arroyo as the admin would like you to think.

I thought the 2007 election results in Cebu were credible (where TU won), but not during 2004. (UPDATE: Definitely NOT in 2004's Garcified elections in Cebu)

More from Perez:

Speaking as a Cebuano, I must say that I am puzzled why in the face of their anti-administration stance, the Manileños are staunchly pro-opposition. There’s a logical inconsistency there, I know, but let me clarify. You do not have to convince me that GMA cheated during the 2004 and 2007 elections. You do not have to argue with me that the Little President and her Big Husband are corrupt. I concede those points. I even concede that there have been many human rights violations committed by La Arroyo and that there are many of aspects of her administration that are left for wanting.

But for the love of practicality, who else would you have sit on the throne???

That's for the voters to decide. Dapat nagkaroon ng Special Elections once we found out na ninakaw ni Arroyo ang election.

I didn't vote for FPJ too, but I would have respected the wishes of the voters kung siya talaga ang nahalal. Just like in 1998, anti-erap ako, i voted for raul roco, pero when it was clear that erap was the legit winner, i accepted him as the elected president of this country.

And so far, I, and I believe the general majority of Cebu, stand by our vote for GMA. She does have unforgivable faults. She has a blatant lust for power and has been trampling on human rights. But we Cebuanos are practical in the sense that we tend to look at the bottom line and overlook certain character defects. The bottom line is that the Philippine economy is doing particularly well, which has translated to an economic boom in Cebu. Although there really is a need to ensure that this wealth should and must trickle down to the poor and underprivileged sectors, at least we have some wealth to work with. It’s all now a matter of execution to make sure that things, overall, are made to work.

I agree that Cebu is pro-Arroyo. But Arroyo's Cebu victory would not have mattered that much if the votes were counted properly--in Cebu, and in other parts of Mindanao.

In short, the reason why Cebu voted in favor of mostly Administration candidates is that we voted based on each and every candidate’s individual merit, and not because we wanted to send a message against the President. We would not vote for unqualified people just because we detested the President. In other words, a Cebuano would not cut off his nose in order to spite his face. It just does not make sense.

I don't know about that. That buffoon Prospero Pichay was one of the top three vote getters in your area. Cesar Montano made it to the Magic twelve.

I think Cebu usually takes the contrary side to what "Imperial Manila" does. Parang Red State(Cebu)/Blue STate(Manila) yan. lol.

UPDATE: The Magnificent Perez reponds to my post (without linking to it.)

he made sumbong in his blog na inatake ko raw siya, at inatake ko ang mga Cebuanos in general. Did no such thing, dude. I just laid out the facts on the 2004 and 2007 elections in Cebu. And I asked my Cebuano friends in Manila re their thoughts on GMA and cebuano attitudes in general, and many of them don't agree with your your attitude towards the fraud marred 2004 elections.

UPDATE: Man, if i knew earlier on na he was an administration lawyer working from LAKAS (and assigned to be Joker Arroyo's lead counsel in Cebu), I would not have bothered to react to this idiot's drivel in the first place.