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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Poll body sets aside Maguindanao COC
* Palace rejects call to scrap Maguindanao election results
* Business sector urges thorough probe of poll fraud allegations
MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday deferred the canvassing of the certificate of canvass (COC) in Maguindanao following accusations of massive poll fraud in the province.
Sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBC), the Comelec in banc deferred the canvassing of the Maguindanao COC to Friday.
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"Because of the questions being raised (by legal counsels of the candidates), we require the presence of the PES (provincial election supervisor) to answer the questions," said Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. He announced the deferment during Tuesday's canvassing at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
Abalos said the halt in the canvassing was also due to the absence of Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol.
Prior to the announcement of the deferment, representatives of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) met with Comelec officials on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Lente co-convener Carlos Medina told reporters that their group sought for the deferment of the canvassing of Maguindanao's COC and election officials agreed to the request.
Despite reports that a teacher was ordered to fill up ballots in Maguindanao, Abalos said the canvassing will still be held on Friday, and Bedol and the other members of the provincial board of canvassers will be required to be present.
A teacher, who requested anonymity for security reasons, talked to members of Lente and revealed that she and several others were made to fill up ballots for Team Unity (TU) senatorial candidates.
Lente supports Comelec's investigation of alleged irregularities in the conduct of the elections in Maguindanao.
Malacañang, for its part, dismissed the proposal of some sectors led by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) to scrap the results of the elections in Maguindanao.
"To void the votes of more than 300,000 citizens on the basis of one unverified, uncorroborated claim and the 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," said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.
Bunye also welcomed the decision of the Comelec to form an investigating body that would look into the allegations of cheating and assess supposed evidence proving the anomaly.
Tourism Secretary and TU spokesman Joseph Durano said the administration senatorial slate welcomes the Comelec investigation and that they also support proposals to "temporarily set aside the results of contested areas in Maguindanao while investigations are ongoing."
Presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio said it would be up to the appropriate bodies to decide whether the votes from Magunidanao should be included or excluded from the national counting.
Claudio said that whatever the decision, it should be done on the basis of evidence and due process.
A major business group is also urging for a thorough investigation on alleged poll-related irregularities in Maguindanao province.
Failure to investigate "would irreparably harm democracy and the credibility of elections in the country."
"We are deeply disturbed by reports that no actual voting took place in some parts of Maguindanao and that teachers were instructed to fill up the ballots. If true, we are appalled that such spurious votes are now being canvassed at the municipal and provincial level," said the statement jointly signed by Makati Business Club (MBC) president Ramon Del Rosario and Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) president Albert Del Rosario.
The joint statement said the business sector is "keenly watching" the developments in the election and that the political and economic stability of the county lies in the results of the election. (MSN/JMR/AH/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (May 23, 2007 issue)
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