Tuesday, May 08, 2007 No vote-buying complaint yet vs Bayan, Kalahi: Comelec By Grace L. Plata
IN THE wake of "vote-buying" tirades between progressive groups and Kalahi party-list group, no complaint has been filed yet before the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Southern Mindanao.
Comelec-Southern Mindanao information officer Melcar Unso said if there are really such incidents happening in the city, a complaint should be filed so that the office can address the matter.
Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Spokesperson Frankie del Rosario said, "We already forwarded the complaint to our national office that will facilitate the filing at the Comelec Central Office. The complaint for local will be filed within this week."
Bayan on Friday presented witnesses and evidences of Kalahi's alleged "vote-buying" activities that included rice grains, cans of sardines, an accident insurance card, a movie pass, and a 50-peso bill.
Witnesses said they were gathered at Kalahi's headquarters under the false pretense of a poll assistor's seminar.
Kalahi second nominee, lawyer Karlo Nograles, however, defended these actions saying it is but help and allowance for their volunteers.
Nograles said the groups were guilty of their own allegations against Kalahi as they had distributed packed lunches during their Labor Day rally, which according to Nograles is also another form of vote-buying.
Bayan, however, believes that Karlo Nograles's claim that militant groups are guilty of vote-buying is his own-crafted-propaganda to hide Kalahi's concrete sample of vote-buying.
In a statement, Bayan said they have witnesses and pieces of evidence to prove their claim that first, Kalahi has been giving groceries and other forms of incentive not to those whom they called as watchers and that the cost of the goods is more than the prescribed campaign amount of P4 per voter.
"We have pictures and affidavits of witnesses to prove this claim and other party-list as well as individuals can already attest to Kalahi's defective and traditional tactic to deceive the people," del Rosario said.
He added that Bayan and its allied groups have been commemorating May 1 every year with or without elections, with only streamers, placards.
"It is up to the participating organizations of the said rally to provide whatever food they want to eat, that is their right. However, participating organizations from various sectors and labor unions who have participated in May 1 rally did not eat in a "lunch packs" far from what Nograles's claim," he said.
"We are criticizing this dirty tactic led by Karlo Nograles himself in respect to the dignity of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families as we do not want them to be misrepresented by a phony representative. We want a genuine representation of marginalized sector for this is the essence of the Party-list System Act," del Rosario said.
In a news report, the young Nograles said negative issues thrown against Kalahi show that militant groups do not want OFWs to be given a voice in Congress, which according to Bayan sounds like "hypocrisy."
"Our group through Migrante International that has chapters worldwide, have been working and fighting for OFW's rights and welfare long before Nograles's thought he could be the voice of the nine million OFWs," del Rosario said.
Bayan said if Nograles truly wants to represent and sincerely help the OFWs, then the latter should resign as nominee instead as he could best serve as a Kalahi's legal counsel.
