Palace welcomes Comelec probe on ‘poll fraud’

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang welcomed yesterday the Commission on Elections (Comelec)’s plan to probe alleged cheating during the 2016 polls, saying this would help prevent fraud in the next elections. 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said there is a need to verify the statements of Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, who claimed to have received information that the results of the 2016 election were altered. 

“The President has said that he would not allow cheating during elections. And we are happy that the Comelec has accepted the challenge and it will investigate the new information released by Sen. Sotto in the Senate,” Roque said.

“This is important because Smartmatic has been tapped anew by the Comelec to provide automated election services in the next election. If Sen. Sotto is right when he said that the source of the cheating came from Smartmatic, we have to know the truth. Otherwise, there might be another cheating in the next election,” he added.  

Roque maintained that Duterte did not benefit from any attempt to manipulate the elections. 

“If you have to ask some of the diehard supporters of the President in the last election, they feel that they got more votes. So it is not as if they benefited, they lost votes according to his supporters. But the President is happy with his almost six million edge over his closest political rival,” he said. 

Last Tuesday, Sotto said he received reliable information that irregularities had changed the results of the last elections. 

The senator said there was a transmission of votes a day before the May 9 polls in Albay and Rizal provinces. He also claimed that the United States intruded into a local election server. 

Duterte will have appointed three Comelec commissioners before the 2019 midterm elections.  – With Marvin Sy, Mayen Jaymalin