THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales had no intention to malign the poll body with his earlier statement that there are bribery attempts to poll officials.
In a meeting with the Comelec en banc Saturday afternoon, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said Gonzales explained that he only related to the public the reports he received of bribe attempts geared at manipulating the outcome of the election.
“The Defense chief clarified he does not intend to malign Comelec officials and in that meeting he was in fact commenting on how strong and solid the coordination work among Comelec, AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PNP (Philippine National Police) officials,” Jimenez said.
Gonzales in the Bishops-Ulama Conference in Davao City Wednesday said that aside from poll officials, the military and police were also being bribed by personalities trying to rig the upcoming elections to their favor.
Jimenez said the defense chief only mentioned the matter “as a way of bringing it up” from information he has been receiving as the National Defense chief.
No names were, however, mentioned during Saturday’s meeting and only a general report was relayed by Gonzales.
Jimenez, meanwhile, said Comelec has not planned any course of action for the reports as it has not reached the level of urgency requiring military of intelligence services.
“Heightened awareness. The only thing we will do is be vigilant,” Jimenez said.
The Comelec also refused to dwell on the motives of those who may be planning to sabotage the elections or on the numerous conspiracy theories speculating a failure of elections.
“Conspiracy theories by its nature are very prolific mother. It has many offsprings,” Jimenez said.
The meeting was described to have gone “very well” with both parties providing assurance to keep communication lines open to avoid miscommunication.
Gonzales’s apology
On Friday night, the defense chief reiterated that efforts for poll cheating had begun.
These efforts, he added, show gross disrespect for the firm resolve of the military and the police and that of many in the Comelec to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections.
Gonzales said the cheating efforts also indicate that “despite the automation, the May election can be rigged”.
Addressing the First Executive Conference on National Security organized by the National Defense College of the Philippines in Makati, Gonzales said there have indeed been attempts to bribe Comelec officials in the provinces, as well as military and police officers, even as he apologized to the involved institutions for making this disclosure.
“My apologies to the Comelec and to our men and women in uniform. It is not my intention to malign them. My intention is to pre-empt the cheating,” Gonzales stressed.
“I want to clarify that many in the Comelec hate being bribed, and among them is my source of the cheating report. This Comelec official refused to be bribed,” he added.
The defense chief at the same time lauded the AFP and the PNP for being both strongly committed to working for an honest, orderly, and peaceful election in May.
“As protector of the people, the AFP needs to protect the process that allows the people to choose their leaders. And the AFP is doing precisely that, together with the PNP,” Gonzales said.
He furthered the cooperation among the AFP, PNP, and Comelec is very good in practically all provinces in the country, with each one strengthening the resolve of the other institutions to really make the coming election clean.
Because of this cooperation, Gonzales said he is “actually confident that the bribing of our armed forces, the police, and Comelec will not really prosper”. (Angela Casauay/VR/Sunnex)