DILG official uncovers dagdag bawas in south

A top official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) exposed yesterday the foiled "dagdag-bawas" or vote shaving-padding operations in Mindanao of a syndicate within the department.

Undersecretary for Local Government Eduardo Soliman told reporters the syndicate is comprised of active and retired DILG personnel working in conspiracy with certain officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

"We foiled their attempt to rig election results in Mindanao," he said.

Soliman said the syndicate, which is allegedly headed by a former Cabinet official, has spent at least P400 million for vote shaving and padding operations of two senatorial candidates.

"At least four regional directors and several retired personnel were tagged in dagdag-bawas operations in Mindanao," he said. "The department is still gathering more evidence to have an air-tight case against the suspects."

The syndicate’s operations were exposed by DILG regional directors after they were offered a big sum of money for their services, he added.

Six witnesses in the alleged election fraud in Northern Samar have asked justice department officials to place them under the Witness Protection Program.

In their affidavits, the six residents of Barangay San Juan in San Isidro town swore that winning gubernatorial candidate Raul Daza and Rep. Harlin Abayon had taken part in "unusual activities" inside the municipal session hall.

One of the witnesses told reporters he had taken video footage of members of the municipal board of canvassers – election officer Juchita Collamar Sy, district school supervisor Eugenio Jumadiao, and treasurer Gilda Bulalaque – at the municipal hall after the counting of votes was completed.

"I saw Sy opening the sealed ballot box and taking out some sealed envelopes inside the ballot box and presenting it to Jumadiao and to the other members of the BOC and then to the people inside the session hall," he said in his affidavit.

People Power senatorial bet Ralph Recto challenged the Puwersa ng Masa (PnM) yesterday to show evidence that he had rigged election results in his favor in Mindanao.

"Go ahead, I dare them to produce strong and authenticated evidence," he said. "But the truth of the matter is, they are targeting me because I appear to be the weakest among the eight solid administration bets within the circle of Magic 13. "

Recto said the opposition could not question him on the votes he got from Mindanao provinces, particularly in Palimbing town in Sultan Kudarat, where he received 15,000 votes.

On the other hand, lawyer Jesus Crispin Remulla, PnM spokesman, challenged the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) to show their copies of the certificates of canvass in Sultan Kudarat, where rampant poll fraud has been reported.

"We challenge PPCRV and Namfrel to produce their copies of the COCs in Sultan Kudarat, particularly in Isulan town, and compare them with the copies we have – if they would not tally that means there was massive cheating," Remulla said.

Earlier, the opposition presented documents pointing to massive election fraud, particularly in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga del Norte, Batangas, and the two Lanaos.

Remulla also called on executives of ABS-CBN 2, PTV 4, GMA 7, RPN 9, and IBC 13 to present with fairness the opposition’s claims of harassment and cheating during the last elections.

"Like the video footage taken in Surigao, it was shown for one, two seconds, then it was all (focused on PPC spokesman) Dodie Limcaoco making accusations (against the PnM)," he said.

Remulla said ABC 5 and Net 25 were the only television stations that had been presenting reports with fairness.

The recorded cheating in Sultan Kudarat and in Zamboanga del Norte is something that should be investigated by the Comelec and groups claiming to be people’s watchdogs, he added. – With reports from Delon Porcalla, Pia Lee-Brago, Aurea Calica, Mike Frialde