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Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Poll official Bedol nabbed, brought to Manila
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Policemen arrested Maguindanao election officer Lintang Bedol close to midnight on Sunday, a top police official said Monday.
Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) police director, refused to say where Bedol was arrested but that "it was intelligence operatives who established his whereabouts."
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Television reports late Monday night said Bedol and his police escorts left Davao City at 7 p.m. onboard a commercial flight and arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila at past 9 p.m.
Bedol was arrested in the Davao Doctors' Hospital in Davao City where he had just undergone eye surgery for cataract.
"We have him (Bedol), he is now in our custody and he will be flown to Manila immediately" and turned over to the Commission on Elections, Goltiao said.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued on June 26 an arrest warrant for Bedol owing to his repeated failure to heed the poll body's summons so he could explain reports of rampant cheating in Maguindanao and the loss of the municipal certificates of canvass (COCs) from the province.
Goltiao had refused to say where they were holding Bedol, citing security concerns. "There's some risk. For security reasons, I cannot say where he was arrested or where he is now," he said.
Goltiao said the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership in Camp Crame had been already informed of Bedol's arrest.
He added that they organized Task Force Bedol--composed of intelligence operatives and Regional Mobile Group and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) agents--for the election officer's arrest.
Bedol's arrest is in line with the order issued by the Comelec, a facsimile copy of which was received by Goltiao's office in the afternoon of June 30.
"We have to implement the order until 10 a.m. of July 3," Goltiao said.
He said they would have transported Bedol immediately after his arrest to the Comelec in Manila but they deferred the move upon advise of the poll official's physician.
Bedol's blood pressure is unstable and he needs rest due to the eye operation, according to Goltiao.
Goltiao refused to disclose the whereabouts of Bedol for security reasons, saying there were people following them.
Earlier Monday, Comelec Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said they were not inclined to detain Bedol upon his arrival in Manila.
"We cannot detain him yet because these are administrative hearings," said Ferrer, who is the head of Task Force Maguindanao that is looking into electoral fraud in Maguindanao.
Ferrer said they would require Bedol to sign a commitment document signifying his intention to return to the Comelec for another hearing where he will have to explain why he snubbed repeated summons for him to explain the loss of May 14 election documents in Maguindanao.
Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos in Manila welcomed Bedol's arrest. (Bong Garcia/VR/MSN/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (July 3, 2007 issue)
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