Abalos cautions DOJ on Bedol

MANILA, Philippines -  Former elections chief Benjamin Abalos yesterday cautioned the Department of Justice (DOJ) to be wary of former elections officer Lintang Bedol on his statements regarding alleged cheating in Maguindanao during the 2007 elections.

Abalos maintained he never tolerated election irregularities during his stint as chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Bedol recently surfaced after years in hiding. He claimed the election documents used in the Maguindanao elections in 2007 were fake.

“Like his claims of fake ballots. That is impossible because we have no participation, whatsoever, in the canvassing of votes,” Abalos said.

He said the teachers were conducting the counting of ballots coming from the polling precincts stated under the certificates of canvass (COCs) before transmission of results to the municipalities under election returns (ERs).

Abalos said the Comelec national office would have no direct participation in the process.

“We don’t participate in that,” he said.

Abalos said the people who are directly participating in the counting of votes are the people on the ground, such as the teachers and elections supervisors.

Abalos maintained he, along with former Comelec commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer, did not authenticate the ballots in Maguindanao.

“I am appealing, in general, to the public, to the DOJ, to the Comelec, to be cautious in appreciating all these allegations. We found him guilty of infidelity (in the custody of election paraphernalia). He was a fugitive for four years. Let us be cautious in appreciating all these allegations because it would be a waste of time,” Abalos said.

Abalos said his position as Comelec chairman had no personal and immediate access to the ballots cast in Maguindanao.

“We don’t see the ballots. Why do the people on the ground, such as the teachers, not recognize it (the alleged cheating and fake ballots claimed by Bedol) when they are the ones directly involved in the counting of votes?” he said.

Abalos said the proper way for any person claiming election irregularities or cheating is to file the necessary election protests before the Comelec.