DILG secures 3 more possible poll fraud witnesses

MANILA, Philippines - Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo today revealed that two municipal election officers from Maguindanao have come forward and confirmed election fraud allegations of former election supervisor Lintang Bedol.

Robredo said that the two election officers approached the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) after the revelations of Bedol, who was turned over by the department to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday.

He said that the two municipal election officers, along with another possible witness -- a computer technician -- are already being secured by the DILG. He said the two municipal election officers are willing to sign affidavits if asked by the Comelec.

"Basta nandiyan lang sila," Robredo told Philstar.com in a phone interview. He added that the DILG is also prepared to turn over the elections officers to the Comelec.

Robredo, meanwhile, clarified that the two municipal election officers have not made statements implicating former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in alleged massive election fraud in Maguindanao during the 2004 and 2007 elections.

"Hindi naman aabot sa ganung level," he said, adding that the two election officers corroborated only parts of Bedol's testimony.

Bedol first came out in an interview with ABS-CBN News' Anthony Taberna, implicating former President Arroyo in the massive rigging of election results in Maguindanao province.

Bedol, then provincial election supervisor of Maguindanao, said that he was instructed to make sure that three opposition senatorial candidates during the 2007 elections did not get votes in te province. The candidates include President Benigno Aquino III, who was then representative of Tarlac, and Senators Panfilo Lacson and Alan Peter Cayetano.

In the alleged manipulated results, Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson topped the race followed by now Sen. Miguel Zubiri.

Bedol claimed former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos, commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Nicodemo Ferrer authenticated fake election materials.

Bedol's statement corroborated an earlier revelation of former ARMM Zaldy Ampatuan.

His coming out was perceived by the camp ofArroyo as part of the Aquino administration's scheme to pin down the former president for poll fraud as it happened only days apart from Ampatuan's testimony.

No grand scheme vs Arroyo

In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, Robredo denied allegations that the Aquino administration is trying to struck a deal with Bedol and Ampatuan.

He said that the surfacing of Bedol and the testimonies of Ampatuan are being discredited by people who "are afraid of the truth."

Robredo also denied allegations that the DILG paid Bedol to come out. He said Bedol sent feelers through DILG personnel.

In the case of Ammpatuan, the DILG secretary said that the Maguindanao massacre suspect initially tried to talk to him during a surprise visit at Camp Bagong Diwa.

He said he declined to meet with Ampatuan at the jail facility and instead advised him, through a jail official, that he should send a letter to formally ask for a meeting.

Robredo said that it was only after he received the letter that he agreed to talk with Ampatuan.

"When I found the time, pinuntahan ko siya. Inilahad niya lahat ng nalalaman niya," he said.

He denied acting as an emissary of Ampatuan, but admitted that he felt "obliged" to relay the revelations of Ampatuan to President Aquino.

Robredo, meanwhile, clarified that Ampatuan did not ask to be turned into a state witness. He said Ampatuan only requested to be heard and prove his innocence from the massacre.

President Aquino has assured the families of the 58 Maguindanao massacre victims that they will not use Ampatuan as state witness in the case.