Friday, May 04, 2007 'Garci' boys to play in Oro polls: group By Stephen Capillas
THE local chapter of the civil society group Black and White Movement alleged Thursday afternoon that a group claiming to have ties with controversial ex-Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano offered to ensure the victory of opposition candidates in Cagayan de Oro for a price.
Black and White Movement convener Bencyrus Ellorin told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that he received word the local opposition rejected an offer from this group to help assure the election victory of the opposition slate for at least P3.5 million.
He said they managed to talk with another group that claimed that "millions of pesos" in "special operations funds" were set aside for the local administration party slate for the May 14 elections.
Attempts to contact representatives of the local administration Padayon Pilipino party proved futile as of Thursday, though one of its candidates--congressional candidate Jose Benjamin Benaldo--said charges of vote-buying and other election violations leveled at them were "biased and unfounded."
Meanwhile, Ellorin said the "special operators" identified with Garcillano have promised that 30,000 vote for several local administration candidates will be assured even before the start of the counting.
"We are still verifying these reports but (the fact that) the city Comelec office confirmed the existence of 246 extra ballots in the City Treasurer's Office may serve as an indication that something's not right here," Ellorin said.
Previously, congressional candidate Rufus Rodriguez of the PDP-Laban said around P20 million were set aside by the Palace as "special operations" to assure victory for the local Padayon Pilipino-Lakas CMD slate.
He alleged that P100,000 are being set aside for every barangay, per precinct with 60 to 100 election watchers being hired and paid P1,000 each by the local administration party.
Meanwhile, the local chapter of the Black and White movement earlier earned the ire of the Padayon Pilipino-Lakas CMD administration candidates in Cagayan de Oro for blacklisting three of its top candidates and one of its former members.
Three Padayon candidates--Mayor Vicente Emano, Cagayan de Oro Representative Constantino Jaraula and Benaldo--accused the movement of "political bias", a charge the group dismissed.
Ellorin said they are coordinating with other civil society groups to monitor and guard against possible poll cheating before, during, and after the elections.
"We are organizing a forum sometime next week to mobilize public support to guard against multiple dirty election tactics like vote-buying, fake election returns, ballot switching, among others," he said.
