MABALACAT -- Authorities here are now looking into a case of arson after more than 50 percent of the ballots stored at the back of the Municipal Hall were reportedly burned in a fire incident at dawn Thursday.
Police disclosed that a group of individuals drove away the assigned guards of the ballots before the incident happened at 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
The perpetrators, arson investigators said, used gasoline in burning the storage building.
Duty police officers immediately reported the incident to the firefighters who were able to douse the fire at 3:40 a.m.
Election Provincial Officer Temmie Lambino said the "unharmed" ballots will be transferred to the Pampanga Police Provincial Office at the Capitol.
The burned ballots, on the other hand, will be placed under the custody of the Mabalacat Municipal Fire Office, which is now handling the investigation on the case.
But Mabalacat Municipal Fire Marshal Jimmy Suba said his office will turn over the burned ballot boxes to the Municipal Treasurer's Office.
Lambino said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Manila directed the Comelec provincial office to preserve the integrity of the ballots in this town and in Apalit after losing Pampanga gubernatorial candidate Lilia Pineda filed an electoral case.
It is also on the same date that the Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordered the Comelec municipal office to preserve the integrity of the ballots because of the three separate cases filed by losing Mabalacat mayoral candidate Anthony Dee and vice mayoral candidate Victor Tiglao.
But on June 5, 2007, the RTC issued an order to transfer the ballots under its custody.
Lambino disclosed that the ballots were scheduled to be transferred to the RTC on Thursday afternoon.
Mabalacat Police Chief Melchor Reyes said they have invited one of the ballot guards for investigation. He said a certain Sibal ordered the ballot guards to leave before the incident transpired.
Reelected Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales denounced the incident, saying he was saddened by it.
"Stop accusing and giving irresponsible, malicious and baseless statements. Let's wait for the outcome of the investigation," Morales said.
Morales won in the last elections by more than 1,000 votes over Dee, who recently filed an election protest before the Angeles City RTC.
When asked if the Comelec would file a complaint against the Municipal Treasurer's Office, Lambino said his office has yet to wait for the outcome of the investigation.
The ballots were placed under the custody of the Municipal Treasurer's Office throughout the election period, Lambino said.
Lubao Mayor Dennis Pineda, son of Lilia, expressed concern on the burning of the ballot boxes.
He said: "In the pursuit of our election protest is the preservation of the election paraphernalia. If any tampering of the election returns would have given us cause to sound the alarm, so much so this fire that has all the elements of an intent that is not only political but patently criminal."
The young Pineda said the election results in Mabalacat are among the issues of contention in the electoral protest filed by their camp.
Lilia protested her loss to Pampanga governor-elect Fr. Eddie Panlilio by only 1,147 votes in the last elections. She filed a protest before the Comelec, seeking a recount of the votes throughout the province.
Despite police investigations on the Mabalacat incident, Mayor Pineda appealed to the people specifically in the other contested municipalities to be vigilant of the election paraphernalia.
"The elections may be over but the truth of the results is far from settled. The Mabalacat fire is a sure-fire indication of this: a dastardly act to torch the truth and live the lie of an electoral farce," he stressed. (RGN/DMF/MHD)
