Fake election return envelopes seized

Thousands of fake election return envelopes were seized by a combined posse of Commission on Elections (Comelec) officers and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives following a surprise raid in a residential compound in Valenzuela City yesterday.

Some 100 boxes of brown envelopes (at 500 pieces per box) were seized by the team at around 9 a.m. from the residence of Esperanza Won, 28, a printing contractor, at 1189 Bambi Street, Tañada Subdivision in Sitio Bitik, General T. de Leon, Valenzuela City. The forms have been taken into custody by the Valenzuela Comelec office.

Valenzuela Election Officer Adriano Abesamis said the fake forms could be used to rig election results. "The envelopes which should contain the official election returns could be switched with these bogus forms. Of course, these would not happen without connivance of the election workers at the polling centers," Abesamis said.

Won, who claimed she did not know she was violating election laws, told reporters at the scene she was only contracted to apply adhesive on the envelope flaps and that was all there was to it. She also implicated a certain Pastor Sonny Tiquia, reportedly a local Lakas-NUCD council bet in the May 14 polls. She said a certain "Yolly" and "Bernie" from a neighboring barangay delivered the forms to her. She said the two allegedly got the forms from Tiquia, who reportedly owned a printing press, Advance Paper Corporation, in Baesa, Caloocan City. She was allegedly paid P15 per box of 500 pieces to put the glue on the flaps. Since starting two weeks ago, Won said she had delivered back some 50 boxes to Yolly and Bernie.

Checking the official Comelec list of candidates, The STAR found a "Caritos B. Tiquia", with "Pastor Sonny Tiquia" as nickname, running for city councilor in Valenzuela’s second district under the Lakas-Kampi banner.

Abesamis said a bodega in Serrano street in the same subdivision also contained several boxes of the same fraudulent forms.

At the CAMANAVA Press Corps office, a Caloocan policeman claiming to be a member of the Station Investigation Bureau (SI) interceded for Tiquia and promised to make him give his side to the press.

"He will not do anything like that," said the policeman, who claimed he is Tiquia’s godbrother.

The cop, who turned his back on The STAR when pressed to talk some more about the incident, denied being sent over by Tiquia despite admitting that Tiquia called him over the telephone to do something about his being dragged into the controversy.

Abesamis said Won has been invited for questioning to explain the presence of the forms in her residence. Abesamis said he will be studying the case and the possibility of filing charges of violation of Section 19 of the Omnibus Election Code concerning the illegal production of official election forms.

Abesamis said they were shocked to see the printed forms as they should be seen at this time only at the National Printing Office (NPO), the official government printers of the forms, and in Comelec offices.

Abesamis said they had gathered intelligence reports on the existence of the fraudulent forms as early as Saturday. A tipster’s call yesterday morning resulted in an immediate lightning raid.