Opposition warns of 'people power' revolt if their candidate loses<\/p>\n
Jim Gomez
\nAssociated Press\/Manila<\/p>\n
A new \"people power\" revolt will erupt if movie star Fernando Poe
\nJr. loses the presidential election through fraud, his party
\nwarned on Wednesday - fighting words in a nation where popular
\nprotests have knocked two leaders out of office.<\/p>\n
Even though official results aren't expected for weeks, a
\nconfident President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called a Cabinet
\nmeeting to start delivering on her campaign promises.<\/p>\n
Poe, an action film star and political novice, has taken an
\nearly lead over Arroyo in a \"quick count\" from Monday's election.
\nBut a respected independent pollster said Arroyo is likely to win
\nby about 9 percentage points.<\/p>\n
With both sides coming close to claiming victory after a
\nbitterly fought contest, some kind of confrontation appeared
\nlikely.<\/p>\n
Poe's camp has alleged widespread election irregularities, and
\nhe has urged his backers to \"remain firm in our belief in the
\ntruth that victory is ours.\"<\/p>\n
His KNP party said a repeat of \"people power\" - the mass
\nprotests that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and
\nPresident Joseph Estrada in 2001 - \"will surely come out\" if the
\nvote count is tainted with fraud.<\/p>\n
It also claimed turnout was much lower than the 80 percent
\ncited by the national Commission on Elections to pave the way for
\n2.4 million extra ballots that the KNP claims the government
\nprinted to facilitate fraud.<\/p>\n
Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye denied any cheating.<\/p>\n
\"We believe in clean, honest, orderly and peaceful elections,\"
\nBunye said. \"Let us leave all electoral matters in the hands of
\nthe electoral body and let it finish its job.\"<\/p>\n
The Philippine military has warned against any violence or
\nmassive protests, saying troops would use \"necessary force\" to
\nmaintain order if losing parties try to stir up trouble.<\/p>\n
Arroyo took over for Estrada midway through his term but now
\nis seeking her own six-year presidency.<\/p>\n
A nationwide survey by independent pollster Social Weather
\nStations has projected that Arroyo will beat Poe by 41 percent to
\n32 percent. But a \"quick count\" by an officially sanctioned
\nelection watchdog group covering only 1.8 percent of the
\nprecincts showed Poe ahead 43.7 percent to 33.4 percent.<\/p>\n
Three other presidential contenders were trailing badly as the
\nPhilippines waited for an official count expected to take weeks
\nas workers tally tens of millions of paper ballots by hand. The
\nelections also were for vice president, lawmakers and provincial
\nand local officials.<\/p>\n
Arroyo's office said she called a Cabinet meeting for Friday
\nto begin \"work on her governance agenda.\" That includes promises
\nto create 1 million jobs over the next six years, as well as
\nplans to provide power to more homes, loans to small businesses
\nand cut-rate medicine for the poor.<\/p>\n
Fresh election-related violence broke out in the north when
\ngunmen attacked two town halls, killing a policeman and burning
\nballots in some of the worst incidents since Monday's polling,
\npolice said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
A powerful bomb exploded on Wednesday on southern Jolo island,
\nkilling at least one person and injuring 14 near a building where
\nballots were being counted. Men burned a municipal building on
\nnearby Basilan island in an attack related to the elections. A
\nvice mayoral candidate in southern Maguidanao's Parang town
\nfatally shot an aunt of his rival, police said.<\/p>\n
Filipinos voted on Monday without any major disruption, but at
\nleast 115 election-related deaths since December have made this
\ncampaign season deadlier than the 1998 presidential campaign -
\nwhen 67 were killed.<\/p>\n
The presidential race has been bitter and full of
\nrecriminations. Opposition leaders accuse Arroyo's side of
\ncorruption and plots to rig the vote count. Arroyo's camp denies
\nthe charges and has alleged that Poe's backers want to disrupt
\nthe results with violence.<\/p>\n
The election in the poor Southeast Asian nation of 84 million
\npeople ends the constitutionally fragile period that followed the
\nouster of the last elected president, Estrada, on corruption
\ncharges that could carry the death penalty.<\/p>",
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