Witness in GMA case: No tampering of votes in Maguindanao town

MANILA, Philippines - No tampering of votes or cheating occurred in the town of Pagalungan in Maguindanao in the 2007 midterm election, a prosecution witness in the electoral sabotage case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said yesterday.

Judge Jesus Mupas of Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) branch 112 is hearing the bail petition of Arroyo and former election officer Lintang Bedol for their temporary liberty.

Testifying for the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Nelia Oreo, former chairman of the Pagalungan municipal board of canvassers, said she could not recall any tampering of votes when the special board of canvassers that she headed completed the canvassing of votes in that town.

On cross-examination of Bedol’s lawyer Reynaldo Princesa, Oreo said her role was to complete the canvassing of votes in Pagalungan two months after the May 14 midterm election.

Prosecutors presented Oreo in the bail hearing to prove that they have a strong case of electoral sabotage against Arroyo and former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

The two are accused of conspiracy to show zero votes of at least three opposition senatorial candidates in 2007.

In her testimony, Oreo said she did not see any tampering of votes in the 59 precincts in Pagalungan.

They completed the canvassing at the Comelec central office in Manila, she added.

When they conducted the canvassing, the winners in the senatorial race had already been proclaimed and the results of their canvass were no longer included as it could no longer affect the votes in the National Board of Canvassers, Oreo said.

However, Princesa told reporters the Certificate of Canvass (COC) of Bedol was never submitted to the National Board of Canvassers in Pasay City because another set of provincial board of canvassers that lawyer Emilio Santos headed took over and completed the canvassing of votes in Maguindanao.

Princesa said the COC Bedol made showed that Luis “Chavit” Singson had topped the senatorial election in Maguindanao, while the Santos board had Juan Miguel Zubiri leading.

Prosecutor Juana Valesa said the Comelec had created a special board of canvassers to correct the alleged tampering of votes.

The COC that Oreo had submitted showed that opposition candidates received more than 1,000 votes in contrast to the zero vote that Bedol had submitted, she added.

The Comelec has agreed to limit the presentation of evidence and witnesses in the bail hearing of Arroyo and Bedol, trimming down their witnesses from 42 to 12 or less to speed up the bail hearing.

The Comelec has also submitted more than 100 documents consisting of COCs, election-related directives and reports on the May 2007 midterm election in Maguindanao.