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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Basilan blasts hurt 3, halt canvassing
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Updated 3:20 p.m.) – Three persons were injured when unidentified men bombed a school in Lamitan town where the canvassing of votes was ongoing Monday night.
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) Police Director Joel Goltiao said politics could be the most likely motive of the attack.
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The wounded victims -- Ben Idris, 40, Nasser Asarul, 32, and Jalil Paris, 35 – are all supporters of Sumisip mayoralty candidate Haber Asarul. The canvassing of votes from Sumisip town was transferred to Lamitan because of tension between rival politicians.
The of canvassing of Certificates of Canvass for Sumisip town was further transferred to the Provincial Capitol in Isabela City, the capital city of Basilan.
Goltiao said the suspects used grenade launchers at around 7:55 p.m. The explosion ripped off the roof of the Lamitan Central Elementary School and another explosion hit the school's fish pond.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) suspended Tuesday the vote count from last week's polls in Maguindanao province amid allegations of massive cheating by pro-government supporters.
Newspaper and television reports quoted a teacher as saying vote-counters were ordered to fill out ballots with the names of pro-government candidates running for 12 Senate seats.
The administration camp said its preliminary count showed a 12-0 sweep for its candidates in votes cast in the province.
Volunteers from an independent watchdog authorized by the Comelec to do a quick vote count complained they were not allowed to monitor the canvassing of votes, and were not provided with election returns from the province.
The National Movement for Free Election (Namfrel) watchdog later dropped Maguindanao from its count, and Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos suspended official canvassing from the province until Friday, when the provincial election supervisor appears before the National Board of Canvassers in Manila.
"The credibility of the commission has been put at stake. That's why we are conducting an investigation," Abalos told reporters.
However, Abalos said votes from Maguindanao could not be discounted based just on allegations of cheating.
"Mere allegations, unless supported by evidence, cannot be a ground to suspend proclamation" of winning candidates, he said.
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye also objected to calls by opposition leaders to declare a failure of elections in the province.
"To void the votes of more than 300,000 citizens on the basis of one unverified, uncorroborated claim as well as reported difficulties in getting poll documents would effectively disenfranchise without due process thousands of citizens, thus weakening the very democracy which we seek to protect," he said in a statement.
Allegations of electoral fraud also marred the 2004 presidential election, when votes from Maguindanao and other provinces in a Muslim autonomous region went to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Arroyo has denied conspiring to rig the vote, but the allegations fueled two impeachment bids against her that were blocked by her allies in the House of Representatives.
Arroyo's allies are expected to win most of the 220 districts in 81 provinces represented in the House.
For the Senate race, the official but partial vote count of about 80 percent of 300,000 precincts on Tuesday showed eight opposition candidates, two administration backers and two independents leading. (VR/AP/CO/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio.
(May 22, 2007 issue)
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