Friday, May 18, 2007 Mayor accuses poll officer of delaying canvassing By Bong Garcia
ISABELA CITY, Basilan -- Incumbent Lantawan Mayor Tahira Ismael is calling the top brass of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), particularly Chairman Benjamin Abalos, to step in and fast track the canvassing of votes in her town.
Ismael said she suspects there is a grand design to delay the canvassing to rig the election results.
Ismael, who is leading by several thousands of votes in the unofficial count, disclosed the canvassing of votes in her town is moving at a slow pace, which could be vulnerable to vote rigging.
She said she should have been proclaimed on Thursday since the counting of votes in the precinct level had been completed as of early Tuesday.
The precinct level counting of votes was done at the Maluso National High School in the town of Maluso, which is adjacent to Lantawan municipality.
She accused the election officer of Lantawan as the one causing the delay in the canvassing of votes.
Lantawan election officer Entong Musa has effected the transfer of the canvassing of votes from Maluso to Basilan State College (BSC) in Zamboanga City for security reasons.
However, the move failed, according to Ismael, because a grenade explosion hit the area Wednesday night, injuring a Comelec employee. Another grenade landed beneath the board of canvassers' table but did not explode.
Authorities identified the victim as Manzur Usman, a staff at the Lantawan election office who was inside the BSC student center during the canvassing of votes.
"According to him (Musa), this (BSC) is the safest area and Maluso municipality is a critical place. So he transferred the canvassing here," Ismael said.
"Yon pala mas delikado dito (it appeared that it's more dangerous here," she added, citing the grenade attack. The explosion took place a few minutes past 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The counting was stopped from that time until Thursday evening since the second grenade that failed to explode was still beneath the table of the board of canvassers.
Reports said the canvassing of votes would be transferred to either another room within the school premises or to the Capitol Thursday afternoon.
However, as of this posting, the canvassing had neither been transferred nor started.
Musa's cellular phone was turned off when Sun.Star tried to contact him Thursday evening. He also refused to be interviewed earlier in the day.
"He should fast tract the canvassing. What is he going to do with the election returns? What is he thinking?" Ismael asked.
