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Tuesday, May 25, 2004
500 'twins' voted in Isabela, fraud eyed
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan
THE opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) in Negros Occidental found evidence proving there was indeed massive fraud during the elections in favor of President Arroyo.
The evidence was reportedly retrieved from the 5th District where presidential brother-in-law Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo Jr. recently won against his rivals -- incumbent Cong. Jose Apolinario "Jun" Lozada Jr. and former Board Member Alejandro "Bebot" Mirasol.
Erik Espina, spokesman and deputy secretary general of the Freedom for Peace and Justice Movement (FPJM), revealed Monday that in Isabela alone, they retrieved documents that showed the names of about 500 "twins" who voted last May 10.
Espina also disclosed that these twin voters have similar names, birth dates, addresses and age.
The documents, Espina said, were already brought to Manila to be presented before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for proper filing of electoral protest.
Original copies are in the possession of Francis Yulo, a defeated vice mayoral candidate in Isabela, who promised to reveal these documents to the public Tuesday.
This will be their basis for the filing of a case before the La Carlota City Regional Trial Court soon.
Yulo said the documents they secured are all highly questionable bearing names of double registrants and voters.
Isabela's reelected Mayor Renato Malabor, on the other hand, denied such reports and said if there is somebody who needs to answer this, it is their town election registrar.
Palma, according to Malabor, was only assigned in their town a month before the election.
"I don't think though that Mr. Palma would do this or would allow double registrants in our town," Malabor stressed.
Congressman-elect Iggy Arroyo said he has no knowledge whatsoever on this, adding if the KNP has the documents, they have to prove it first.
"The best thing that KNP should do is to ask Mayor Renato Malabor first and then the Comelec official in Isabela town," he stressed.
Arroyo then refused to elaborate further on the issue.
Espina said KNP also gathered several evidence that can vouch their claims that the group of President Arroyo indeed manipulated results of elections in the province.
In Manila, Espina said it is now a grim scenario, as their group is bent on blocking any proclamation by Congress of President Arroyo.
Espina also disclosed that starting Tuesday, all supporters of presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. would hold day and night vigil in front of the Batasang Pambansa.
He said this is aimed at putting pressure on the members of the House of Representatives to be fair and unbiased in canvassing the votes for president and vice president.
He said Congress already gave them a permit for this activity that will last for one month.
Espina said, "We also have groups who will scrutinize the authenticity of all the Certificate of Canvasses (COCs). The fight between FPJ and GMA has now shifted to Congress."
He added, "We will create public pressure but this is through concerted efforts of everyone and is not political."
Chavez exposé
Earlier, Reporma senatorial bet Francisco Chavez presented to the media blank COCs recovered from Negros Occidental last week.
Comelec supervisor Marsha Cordero said the blank COCs in the possession of Chavez mostly came from Valladolid town. However, she stressed those were only products of the teachers' laxity.
"No crime has been committed. And those documents were not meant to commit fraud," Cordero stressed.
Meanwhile, the Multi-sectoral Alliance for Democratic Rights (Mader) condemned the alleged electoral fraud during the May 10 polls through a press conference at the Bacolod Public Plaza Monday.
Mader is an organization composed of members from various sectors such as the Federation of Bacolod City Trisikad Federation, Federation of Bacolod City Tricycle Association, farmers, vendors, urban poor and fisherfolk, including barangay kagawads, purok presidents and other private individuals.
Allan Calilan, president of Mader, said the group is against injustice on the people's democratic rights in the fields of economics, politics and socio-cultural aspect.
Mader also condemned some of the 3,843 public school teachers who are designated as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) of 1, 281 polling precincts in Bacolod City.
But they stressed that not all the teachers are involved in the alleged fraud.
Calilan said they were the real victims of fraud and not the political candidates who ran during the elections.
(May 25, 2004 issue)
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