How was cheating done?

Former Comelec Provincial Supervisors Lilian Radam of South Cotabato and Yogee Martirizar of North Cotabato confirmed in affidavits submitted to DOJ that they cheated the 2007 poll election results upon orders of Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Col. Ben Basiao, Director of ISAFP Region 12 and Malacañang.

Earlier, former ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and Comelec Provincial Supervisor Lintang Bedol confirmed they cheated and manufactured the 2004 and 2007 results in Maguindanao.

The Senate and Comelec must now investigate how the cheating was facilitated and done.

Were the Certificates of Canvass (COC), the statement of votes and the election returns all changed and replaced? Or as reported, were they manufactured before the elections in Manila and shipped to the provinces?

What happened to the Board of Canvassers? Did they sign the manufactured COCs? Or were their signatures faked by a golden arm?

And the teachers’ signatures on the statement of votes and election returns? Were they genuine or fake signatures?

What happened to the Namfrel, PPCRV and Lente observers? Did they not know about the cheating? Were they absent or forced to leave the counting and canvassing centers?

The COCs and other Comelec forms are numbered and assigned to specific provinces. Were the COCs used genuine duplicates? Who printed them? Were fake ballots used as was done in many provinces?

So many persons are involved in a cheating operation. A full-dress investigation must answer all these nagging questions so the election laws can be amended to prevent a recurrence in the future.

One clear reform we want to see: When an election return or COC reflects a total vote higher than the registered number of votes, that ER or COC must be declared null and void.

Senator Ping Lacson confirmed that cheating was done in 2007 with Trillanes and himself suffering a reduction of votes.

We can also confirm the cheating in 2004 with John Osmeña and myself targetted for reduction of votes by Malacañang.

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3rd MALL SHOOTING. . . After a jealous wife got into SM North Edsa with a gun and shot her husband, a 13-year-old teenager also was able to bring in a gun into SM Pampanga and shot his 15-year-old gay lover. Last July, a security guard shot a Games and Amusement Board agent in SM Iloilo.

The woman must be asked where she bought her gun for P4,000. Clearly, malls need to review their security policies considering that tens of thousands of customers enter the malls daily.

There have also been reports of child snatching inside malls. Be on guard, criminals are everywhere.

Meanwhile in Mandaluyong, Dan Relova, a 69-year-old real estate broker was found beaten to death in a Sogo hotel at Kalentong Street. Security guard Eduardo Cidad was shot dead inside the UP campus in Diliman, QC.

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11 SENATORS AGAINST INCREASES. . . Senators Manuel Villar, Ralph Recto and Joker Arroyo filed a proposed Senate Resolution No. 620 calling for the deferment of the VAT on toll fees announced to be effective Oct. 1 and the increase of LRT/MRT fares.

Supporting the resolution are Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto, Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda, Gregorio Honasan, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Antonio Trillanes.

Will Malacañang listen? I doubt it! And if they don’t, what will the Senators do? For one thing, they can defer action on the budget.

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HELP FOR BALLET. . . Rep. Monique Lagdameo (PDP-Laban, Makati, 1st dist.) filed HB 4260 designating Ballet Philippines the oldest of three ballet companies, as the Philippine National Dance Company, defining its role and functions and appropriating funds, therefore. The Committee on Education and Arts chaired by Rep. Salvador Escudero has approved the bill. Good move, Congresswoman.

Rep. Winnie Castelo (LP-Quezon City, 2nd dist.) has filed a bill proposing for a 40-day work week. He wants Fridays off and Monday to Thursday a 10-hour working day.  

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STILL ONGOING. . . P7.5 billion of ghost farm to market roads. The funds were released to favored GMA Administration candidates from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2010. Senate finance committee chairman Frank Drilon said that about 30% of the roads were constructed, but did not comply with the length and quality specified in the contract. DA sources say that the farm to market road program is continuing under the present Administration with a group controlling all the releases.

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THUMBS UP . . . The public has given VP Jejomar Binay a very high 86% trust rating, higher than President Aquino’s 75%. He also recorded an 85% satisfaction rating, higher than President Aquino’s 77%.

Binay deserves the excellent rating because he works 24/7 handling three major functions — housing, OFW concerns and human trafficking. He receives and accepts more speaking invitations than the President. He is also well known for his interest in Senior Citizen concerns.

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GUESS WHO? . . . An oil company executive bought the mansion of Ambassador Manolo Lopez in Wack Wack for P200 million in cash.  

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TIDBITS. . . Nine fixers were arrested at the NBI clearance office at Quezon City Hall. Fixers are still operating everywhere including DA, LTO, PNP, NSO and city halls.

Eight Congresswomen have formed the “Soul Sisters” group and pledged to support the RH bill. Kimi Cojuangco (Pangasinan); Josephine Lacson Noel (Malabon); Sandy Ocampo (Manila); Janette Garin (Iloilo); Bernadette Herrera Dy (Bagong Henerasyon); Abigail Faye Ferriol (Kalinga); Emmeline Aglipay (DIWA) and Sharon Garin (AAMBIS-OWA).

Senator Drilon was surprised to find that DepEd is constructing classrooms at a cost of P650,000. The Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry constructs classrooms at half that price.

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