2004 cheating

Zaldy Ampatuan and Lintang Bedol have confirmed that the 12-0 result in favor of Lakas Team Unity candidates in the 2007 senatorial elections was a manufactured result. They also confirmed that no less than President Gloria M. Arroyo ordered that 3 Senators – Ping Lacson, Alan Peter Cayetano and Noynoy Aquino be given zero votes.

Well, it happened too, in 2004. That time, Sonny Osmeña, Kit Tatad and your columnist were targetted by FG to be pushed out of the top 12. While I have gotten over 100,000 votes in Maguindanao in 1971, 1987 and 1992 senatorial elections, I was given only 15,000 votes in 2004, something unbelievable.

The same unbelievable result was recorded in Cebu, Pampanga, Sultan Kudarat and Bohol where we lost to Administration candidates 4 to 1. In Cebu, for example, Administration candidates averaged 400,000 votes each while Tatad, Osmeña and I averaged 100,000 and came out 15-20th place. Recall that Sonny Osmeña filed a protest because he could not accept his low placing in his native Cebu.

Bedol has now confirmed cheating thru dagdag-bawas in the 2004 Presidential elections in favor of GMA over FPJ.

Recall too, that GMA and her Lakas ticket got an incredible 90 percent of the votes cast, with GMA winning the elections because she got a 1.2 million lead in the Cebu Certificate of Canvass.

 Note that the Certificate of Canvass form carries the names of presidential, vice presidential and senatorial candidates in one long page. So, if you manufacture the votes for President at the top of the page, it is easy to manufacture results from top to bottom.

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BEDOL’S CONFIRMATION. . . Fugitive Atty. Lintang Bedol, Comelec Registrar of Maguindanao, has surfaced to confirm the fraud perpetrated in that province in the 2007 senatorial elections.

What is significant in his admission to ABS-CBN reporter Anthony Taberna is the use of fake election returns and ballots which has long been talked about. The security measure to prevent the use of fake election returns and ballots is to assign them serial numbers for every province, city and municipality. But this numbering system is rendered useless when the Board of Canvassers and Comelec officials count the election returns even when they don’t have the right serial numbers. This proves that the members of the Board of Canvassers and the Comelec officers are part of the cheating scheme. Bedol admitted that the accountable forms sent to Maguindanao did not carry the correct serial numbers.

And on national level, since the Comelec en banc is the national Board of Canvassers, they become part of a grand conspiracy when they allow Certificates of Canvass based on fake election returns to be counted.

Yes, Yes, Yes. In all previous elections, the Comelec has been part of all cheating cases.

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BCDA-MNTC AGREEMENT. . . BCDA Chairman Felicito “Tong” Payumo reports that he has secured a revision of the MNTC contract to operate the Subic Clark Expressway (SCTex).

“Under this new arrangement, BCDA is provided by MNTC sufficient funds to meet its P34-billion debt obligations through revenue sharing and advances during shortfalls. In other words, by virtue of this agreement, the SCTex can be considered as having been built at no cost to the Government for the infrastructure needed by the country.”

Good job, Chairman Payumo!

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BISHOPS CLEARED. . . Ambassador Tita de Villa, a long time Catholic leader, shed tears when she saw 7 bishops stand up to take an oath to tell the truth. She said she felt it was demeaning for the bishops.

However, it is good that they trooped to the Senate supported by outgoing CBCP President Nereo Odchimar, incoming CBCP president Jose Palma, Senior Bishop Gabriel Reyes of Antipolo, Pro-Life leaders Kit Tatad and Lito Atienza which resulted in a unanimous opinion of Blue Ribbon chairman TG Guingona, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, senior Sen. Miriam Santiago, Sen. Tito Sotto and others that the bishops did not do anything illegal or unconstitutional.

What is clear too, is that except for Bishop Juan Pueblos de Dios of Butuan, the other bishops were given encouragement by Malacañang functionaries to apply for assistance.

 But Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato in a statement admitted their lapse of judgment and to clear the air said the bishops were returning the 7 vehicles.

Yes, bishops henceforth, should be careful to accept donations from offices or persons engaged in gambling.

They should now wage an active campaign against gambling by objecting to new casinos, lotteries, daily horse races and cockfights, poker clubs and, of course, jueteng.

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TIDBITS. . . Here are the top absentees in the House of Representatives 1) Rep. Mikey Arroyo (Ang Galing Pinoy party list); 2) Rep. Joy Bernos (LP, Abra, lone district); 3) Rep. Iggy Arroyo (Lakas, Negros Occidental, 5th dist.); 4) Rep. Manny Pacquiao (LP, Sarangani, lone dist.) and Rep. Jules Ledesma (NPC, Negros Occidental, 1st dist.). It’s time for Speaker Belmonte to deduct portions of their salaries for absences.

Camiguin Governor J.J. Romualdo should be commended for securing a P406 million Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) grant to implement a flood and disaster mitigation project.

With so many Japanese settlers in Davao, Davao City and Cotabato City, Davao and Cotabato provinces should be as resourceful as Gov. Romualdo to get foreign grants. Don’t be Juan Tamad waiting for the coconut to fall from Malacañang.

After Davao and Cotabato, floods have hit General Santos and Koronadal cities. Definitely, there is need for more flood control projects.

Traders Joe Batronel and his wife Jocelyn of Zamboanga City were abducted by 5 armed men in Jolo, Sulu. Former Fiscal Arsenio Villalobos was bludgeoned to death inside his house in Jaro, Iloilo.

Mariano Marcos II, a cousin of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., lost his sport utility vehicle (SUV) while it was parked in Malate, Manila Wednesday.