Abalos freed on P1-M bail

MANILA, Philippines - Former elections chief Benjamin Abalos walked out of detention yesterday after being allowed to post P1-million bail for his temporary liberty in connection with electoral sabotage cases filed against him eight months ago.

Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Jesus Mupas granted Abalos’ petition for bail, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish evidence of his guilt “with clarity.”

Abalos was arrested last December for two counts of electoral sabotage for his alleged role in the manipulation of results of the May 2007 elections in North Cotabato.

Felda Domingo, branch 112 spokesperson, said the seven-page order of Judge Mupas was officially served to Abalos at his detention center at the Southern Police District at 1 p.m. yesterday.

“The prosecution was not able to establish with clarity the strong evidence of guilt of accused Abalos, thus leaving the court to doubt whether or not said accused should be admitted to bail,” Mupas said in his order.

The court said it has also taken into consideration Abalos’ age as well as his health condition. Abalos is 77 .

Mupas also cited a Supreme Court ruling allowing bail for inmates in precarious health condition. The bail amounts to P500,000 for each count of electoral sabotage.

“I feel great,” Abalos exclaimed as he was being led out of his detention cell by policemen and security escorts.

Abalos said his eight months in detention have taught him the importance of family.

Before he was jailed, Abalos said he would only see his children once or twice a month. “But now they are all here for me. They would visit me everyday,” he said.

“We are overwhelmed, we thank Judge Mupas for the grant of bail,” Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos told The STAR in a telephone interview.

The younger Abalos said his father vowed to go back to the SPD detention center on Sunday to be with inmates’ children who would have their first Holy Communion tomorrow.

“I made a promise that I will help them and continue to help them even if I get out. I will keep that promise,” the former elections chief said.

Aside from the two counts of electoral sabotage in North Cotabato, Abalos is also facing 11 counts of electoral sabotage before Judge Eugenio de la Cruz of Pasay RTC 117.

The former elections chairman is accused of tampering votes in favor of the administration Team Unity senatorial candidates during the 2007 midterm elections.

Abalos’ co-accused were Lilian Radam, former chairman of North Cotabato provincial board of canvassers; and a certain Captain Peter Reyes, an alleged operative in the election fraud. Reyes remains at large.

Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes said he was puzzled by the decision of Mupas to allow Abalos to post bail.

Brillantes said he found it incredible that Mupas had found the testimony of former North Cotabato election supervisor Yogie Martirizar against Abalos weak because the judge had discharged her from the case and even turned her into a state witness.

“I wonder (how it happened) because he discharged Martirizar and made her a state witness. They even allowed her to testify. Before you discharge someone from a case, you have to see if her testimony is strong,” he noted in an interview.

In his ruling yesterday, Mupas said nobody stepped forward to corroborate Martirizar’s testimony against Abalos.

Martirizar was a co-accused of Abalos in the electoral sabotage case until she was ordered discharged by Mupas.

Brillantes said there are many other witnesses, who are mostly election officers and members of the Board of Canvassers, who have expressed intention to testify against Abalos.  

“It’s just a bail hearing and we’re still going on the merits of the case. We have many witnesses to be presented in court,” he added. With Sheila Crisostomo, Aie Balagtas-See