Teacher details poll cheating in province

By Cathy C. Yamsuan
Inquirer
Last updated 02:05am (Mla time) 05/21/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- It happened in the dead of night, hours before the polling precincts opened.

With armed guards supposedly watching over them, they were forced to fill blank ballots with the names of Team Unity senatorial candidates, starting with Luis “Chavit” Singson and Prospero Pichay.

Students and other children loitering in the school premises were purportedly even asked to mark the ballots with their thumbprints and sign their names on the voters’ list.

This was how the “election” took place at least in some areas of Maguindanao -- at least based on the account of a female public school teacher in the province.

The anonymous teacher talked to Lente, the legal arm of the watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Lente convenor Carlos Medina said at a press conference Sunday.

Hand in hand with the teacher’s allegation, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) accused Commission on Elections (Comelec) officers in Maguindanao of withholding copies of provincial election returns from Namfrel volunteers.

Namfrel secretary general Eric Alvia said the delay in the turnover of the ERs rendered suspect the authenticity of whatever documents would be given Namfrel in the future.

Namfrel chair Edward Go said Maguindanao’s 336,000 votes were enough to influence the outcome of the 11th and 12th places in the senatorial race.

Go said that instead of votes being tallied in precincts, all ballot boxes were hauled to the provincial capitol where the votes were counted. But no Namfrel volunteer was allowed to witness this.

Namfrel’s Maguindanao chair Fr. Eduardo Tanudtanud, OMI, said: “Our volunteers were told that municipal election officers issued a verbal order to withhold the release of all copies of the ERs, including Namfrel’s sixth copy.”

“In view of what we perceive as the systematic withholding of the ERs to Namfrel that casts doubt on the integrity of the sixth copy of the election returns, we will…not include the Maguindanao results in our quick count,” Tanudtanud said.

Following the teacher’s allegations, Lente urged the Comelec to send a Manila-based team to Maguindanao to investigate her charges.

Medina said the teacher had suggested that the Comelec open all the ballot boxes in Maguindanao to see the fraud for itself.

The teacher’s allegation followed reports that candidates of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were posting 12-0 scores in the senatorial race in Maguindanao, which is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Maguindanao was one of the ARMM provinces mentioned in the “Hello Garci” tapes where cheating allegedly occurred in 2004 to help Ms Arroyo win the presidential election.

The 12-0 vote TU has been getting in Maguindanao flies in the face of voting results in many other areas of the country where the Genuine Opposition candidates were registering winning tallies of 8-2-2 or 7-3-2.

While Lente remains in touch with the teacher, Medina refused to identify her.

“I cannot reveal her identity. Her safety relies on the fact that she is not known and so are her whereabouts,” Medina told reporters.

“She fears that if she is known, her entire family will be put in danger, even her relatives will be affected.”

“But what was evident in our conversation was her sense of frustration over the whole thing,” the lawyer said.

It also happened in 2004

Medina said the teacher complained this was not the first time she and her colleagues were forced to fill ballots at gunpoint.

The teacher also alleged she and the others were ordered to fill up blank ballots in the 2004 elections.

According to Medina, the teacher said she only followed orders from a superior.

“She is scared to name the governor (Natatakot niyang sabihin ang pangalan ng gobernador),” Medina said.

But the teacher was more open in discussing the specific instructions given to them.

“They had a list, first on it was Singson, second was Pichay, and so on,” Medina said in Filipino. “The instructions to them were to write these names down on the ballots.”

He also quoted the teacher as saying: “Ganito na lang ba tuwing eleksyon? Kailan ito matatapos? (Is this how it will always be during elections? When will it ever end?)”

The teacher initially sought the help of radio station dzRH, which in turn referred her to Lente -- the Legal Network for Truthful Elections.

Medina said the teacher refused to execute an affidavit, give interviews or sign any document that would establish her identity.

“Time is of the essence here,” Medina said, referring to the need for the Comelec to act urgently. “If those boxes are not opened, the contents might be changed even as we speak.”

Pichay’s lawyer, Mildred Duero-Romero, dismissed the teacher’s story.

“The teacher’s accusations are unfair. Only once these are verified will we answer her. What she said was not under oath and any Tom, Dick and Harry can issue a statement like that,” Duero-Romero said in a telephone interview.

Pichay’s bailiwick

“Butch Pichay is expected to rank high in Mindanao as he comes from said region and it is his bailiwick,” she later said in a text message.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net, also sought comments from Singson and TU spokesperson Ben Evardone, but text messages to them drew no replies.

Maguindanao officials have defended the 12-0 scores for TU candidates, saying they were not part of any vote manipulation but were in line with the local culture of reaching a consensus on matters of public concern.

Medina said the teacher “and the other teachers stayed up all night, staying inside a classroom in a still unknown public school somewhere in Maguindanao until 3 p.m. of Monday, May 14.”

“She did not sleep nor was she paid. She stayed up all night along with the board of election inspectors (BEI) filling up ballots.”

No use for indelible ink

The teacher’s claims seemed consistent with those of some local officials who said no elections took place in the province.

“The teacher said that on May 14 at 3 p.m., all precincts closed and no actual voting took place, although the teachers were all inside the precincts. The indelible ink supplied by Comelec Manila was not used at all,” Medina said.

He said other teachers had indicated interest in supporting the statement of the female witness as long as they remained unidentified and their safety was assured.

Should the Comelec continue to demand documentary evidence, the fraud committed would again go unpunished, Medina said.

“We request the Comelec to send an investigation team and talk to the common folk, look for indelible ink on their fingers because the teacher said the ink was not used,” he said.

Challenge to Abalos

To Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos’ challenge that proof must be shown that fraud was committed, Medina said: “Forego the required affidavits and witnesses. On its own, the (commission) should inspect and find out and interview people.”

One of the GO candidates fighting to stay in the Magic 12, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and his lawyers will file an election protest with the Comelec no Monday to denounce delays in the canvassing in some polling centers in Mindanao, specifically in Maguindanao.

This was disclosed Sunday by Pimentel’s father, Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., who estimated that the election protest could affect some half million votes in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Shariff Kabunsuan.

Such a block of votes could hold up the proclamation of senators fighting for the last four to five slots, he said.

Pimentel said the reason for the delay of the canvassing was obvious -- operators of “dagdag-bawas” (vote-padding and -shaving) were waiting until all the votes in other areas had been counted so they would know how many votes to produce, using rigged tallies. With reports Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Maan Festejo and Kathleen Olarte

NAMFREL COUNT: As of May 19, 2007 5:34pm

As of May 19 2007 5:34 pm

Legarda, Loren (GO)	4,181,309
Escudero, Francis Joseph (GO)	4,028,586
Lacson, Panfilo (GO)	3,644,891
Villar, Manuel Jr (GO)	3,432,402
Pangilinan, Francis (IND)	3,422,350
Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (GO)	3,286,331
Angara, Edgardo (TU)	3,062,154
Arroyo, Joker (TU)	2,717,216
Honasan, Gregorio (IND)	2,662,027
Cayetano, Alan Peter (GO)	2,590,440
Trillanes, Antonio IV (GO)	2,554,849
Zubiri, Juan Miguel (TU)	2,548,567

‘Our computers are hacker-proof’ -- Namfrel

Posted May 19, 2007 18:52:00(Mla Time)

Inquirer

Cathy C. Yamsuan

MANILA, Philippines -- The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) assured the public on Saturday that its computer system is impenetrable to hackers, following reports that an attempt had been made Thursday night to break into the poll watchdog’s system.

"We cannot prevent people trying but we can prevent people succeeding," an unperturbed Namfrel chair Edward Go told reporters.

Go made this assertion after admitting that the Internet service in its headquarters at the La Salle gym in Greenhills experienced "flickering" Thursday.

While this did not disrupt Namfrel's operations, Go said desk officers on duty at the time alerted the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and Smart Telecommunications "to check and make sure the system was up."

Still, Go expressed confidence that it would not be easy for hackers to upset Namfrel's computers.

"Normally, you install a 'firewall' to prevent attempts to disrupt the system. But our systems provider, Synapse, provided us not just one firewall but a Great Wall with six firewalls," Go boasted at Saturday’s regular news conference.

"And if the first [line of defense] detects something, the system shuts itself down so nothing can come in and so we can still operate internally," he added.

Namfrel secretary general Eric Alvia pointed out that Namfrel has "offsite duplicates" that can recall or reproduce any information destroyed by hackers, if they succeed in breaking in.

While Namfrel has not determined the identity of the person or party that allegedly attempted to disrupt its computer system, Go appeared unfazed by the incident.

"Maybe there are malicious persons trying to test [us], trying to do harm. We cannot avoid attempts but we can ensure that we will not be hacked," he said.

Go even appeared amused when he related how "someone from Mindanao" sent "unverified information" through messages faxed several times to the Namfrel headquarters.

He said the crude attempt to alter Namfrel's tabulations was quickly noticed since it was inconsistent with previous messages sent from the same area.

Go said Namfrel's tabulation of the 2007 elections was going much faster than the one conducted in 2004.

He noted that as of Saturday, five days after the election, Namfrel had already encoded, verified and released tabulations from 25.9% of precincts nationwide.

Namfrel 2004, Go said, had tabulated results from only 17.5% of all precincts five days after the May 11 balloting.

"We have historical data to prove we are not that slow. People only get that impression because the television network counts have zoomed quickly. However, their sources are not official while our data come from election returns," the Namfrel chair explained.

Namfrel: ‘Voter turnout only 50%’

Posted May 19, 2007 17:45:00(Mla Time)

INQUIRER.net

Thea Alberto

MANILA, Philippines -- Citing its own records, the National Movement for Free Election (Namfrel) said Saturday that voter turnout during the May 14 mid-term elections was only around 50 percent, way below the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) 60 to 70 percent announcement.

"Based on our record of [the] number of precincts tabulated as of 12:10 today, the total number of votes of people who voted and [which] we have processed…tend to show that the voter turnout for this year's election may be closer to 50 percent than what we have heard [Comelec say] that is 70 percent," Go told a press conference.

Comelec had predicted a 90 percent turnout before May 14.

Meanwhile, Go reiterated that Namfrel’s current quick count is faster than the one it undertook during the 2004 presidential elections.

"To those who say we are slow, we have historical data to show that compared to 2004 we are not that slow. What gives the impression of our slowness is the ABS-CBN and GMA [quick] counts very quickly zoomed to a high figure but their sources are not official sources like ours [which are] the election returns," Go said.

The Comelec has already barred the two television networks from conducting their own quick counts.

2 Namfrel volunteers reported missing in Maguindanao are safe

Two volunteers of the National Movement for Free Elections who were earlier reported missingi n Maguindanao have been confirmed safe, Namfrel chairman Edward Go said Saturday.

Shiela Algabre and Joseph Fernandez, who were supposed to get Election Returns (ERs) have not communicated with their coordinator for Maguindanao, identified as a certain Fr. Tanod-tanod, since after the May 14 polls but they are confirmed out of danger.

"I spoke personally with the one of our coordinators in Maguindanao and while they said that they at the time they have previously spoken to us that they were not in touch with the volunteers, they (volunteers) are confirmed safe,"Go told reporters at a press conference.

But, Go said, the volunteers have not been able to obtain any ERs from Maguindanao because they were barred at the tabulating center.

"We have no ERs so we don’t know what ballots had been cast we cannot testify to the conduct of the elections and its results," said Go.

Lawyer Howard Calleja of the Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) said trying to press the volunteers in obtaining ERs would compromise their safety.

"Among everything, what isimportant is we keep the safety of our volunteers. They are residents of the area, they would still be there after the elections. More than results, we are concerned for their security," said Calleja.

Posted by : Thea Alberto at Namfrel HQ, in La Salle Greenhills

NAMFREL COUNT: As of May 19, 2007 4:54am

As of May 19 2007 4:54 am

Legarda, Loren (GO)	3,691,492
Escudero, Francis Joseph (GO)	3,572,953
Lacson, Panfilo (GO)	3,243,359
Pangilinan, Francis (IND)	3,049,713
Villar, Manuel Jr (GO)	3,027,188
Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (GO)	2,932,541
Angara, Edgardo (TU)	2,699,922
Arroyo, Joker (TU)	2,404,886
Honasan, Gregorio (IND)	2,353,895
Cayetano, Alan Peter (GO)	2,312,028
Trillanes, Antonio IV (GO)	2,269,485
Zubiri, Juan Miguel (TU)	2,250,989

Namfrel men barred from Maguindanao canvassing

Posted May 19, 2007 01:36:00(Mla Time)

Inquirer

Cathy C. Yamsuan Norman Bordadora

MANILA, Philippines—Volunteers of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) have confirmed that elections did take place in Maguindanao, but they are clueless as to whether the results have been tabulated or any of the votes cast on May 14 have been counted at all.

This was disclosed yesterday by Namfrel chair Edward Go, who said all volunteers doing monitoring work for the group had finally been accounted for, following earlier fears that they might not be safe.

Go said chapter coordinators in Maguindanao reported that no one among the volunteers had received copies of the election returns (ERs) supposed to be given to Namfrel representatives monitoring the precincts where these were accomplished.

“They have no ERs. No one has seen an ER because they were not allowed to enter the Maguindanao capitol in Shariff Aguak,” Go told the Inquirer last night.

Unlike other areas where the tallies of votes cast are done inside the precinct after polling places close, “in Maguindanao there is what you call centralized tabulating,” Go said.

“They bring all the ballot boxes to a centralized place, in this case the capitolyo in Shariff Aguak, where they tabulate everything,” he said, adding:

“However, the volunteers are not allowed to enter the area where the tabulation is taking place. So I asked who was the person barring our volunteers. But the chapter coordinators said they will still ask them.”

100 volunteers

Earlier yesterday in a press conference, Go said Namfrel had yet to hear from its volunteers in Maguindanao.

“We hope they are not in danger, but we cannot conclude [so],” he said, adding that while the Namfrel headquarters in Greenhills, San Juan, remained in touch with chapter officers in Maguindanao, “they are, in turn, unable to contact the volunteers assigned to monitor the canvassing [there].”

After the news conference, Namfrel secretary general Eric Alvia estimated that about 100 volunteers in Maguindanao were unaccounted for.

He said Maguindanao had around 336,000 voters, although Go put the figure at 360,000 during the news conference.

Alvia explained his estimate this way: If there are 336,000 voters in Maguindanao and 200 voters in each precinct, there should be around 1,680 precincts in the province. If a volunteer is to get the [ERs] from an average of 10 precincts, “there would be around 160, 150 [volunteers], but as you can see, we have a shortage of volunteers, so [conservatively], there might be about 100.”

Also earlier, Namfrel said it also had no communication with provincial officers and lawyers of the Commission on Elections in Maguindanao.

So far, Namfrel has received only 8.85 percent of tabulations from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which includes Maguindanao. Batch 13, the Namfrel update released at 1:47 p.m. yesterday, indicated there were no tabulations received at all from Maguindanao.

According to Go, the votes in Maguindanao are sufficiently significant to influence who will occupy the 11th and 12th slots in the senatorial race.

‘Show proof’

Maguindanao has lately hogged the headlines with initial returns showing a Team Unity 12-0 sweep, in contrast to early results elsewhere showing a dominant Genuine Opposition. Local officials, residents, as well as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, were quick to claim that no election was actually held in many parts of the province.

To this, as well as claims of ballot-switching and vote-padding during canvassing in other parts of Mindanao, Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. said: Show proof.

“Allegations like these should be supported by evidence,” he said yesterday before presiding over the national canvassing, which has been in process at the Philippine International Convention Center since Wednesday.

“How can you say that voting in Maguindanao did not take place when you are in Manila? That statement is hearsay,” Abalos also said.

Maguindanao provincial elections supervisor Lintang Bedol denied the claim no elections were held in the province on May 14.

Explaining the TU sweep, Bedol said the law now recognized the factor of leadership influence upon the electorate of local government units.

“There is now the ‘Bailiwick Doctrine’ in which the law recognizes the influence of political leadership to generate [block] voting,” he said.

Abalos said he would not be surprised to see the results in Maguindanao giving the administration senatorial candidates a clean sweep.

“People should understand the culture of these tribal groups,” he said. “These tribal groups really act as one. Why do we not question religious groups with block voting?”

Abalos said those alleging fraud “should come out with specifics, with concrete evidence.”

No means to prosecute

Also at the Namfrel news conference, Go presented lawyers belonging to the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), who warned that if the volunteers had not yet surfaced as of yesterday, it may be possible that they also failed to secure the sixth copy of the ERs from their assigned precincts.

Namfrel, following its accreditation as citizens’ arm in poll monitoring, has been allowed by the Comelec to obtain the sixth copy of all ERs. Figures from the ERs are relayed to Namfrel headquarters for tabulation in its unofficial canvass.

Lente is a nationwide group of legal experts, paralegals and law students who help the Namfrel and the PPCRV in monitoring the canvassing of votes.

Lente co-convenor Carlos Medina complained that the group’s members had failed to secure the sixth copy of the ERs in many areas nationwide.

In the case of Maguindanao, since no single ER has been received, it will be difficult for Lente to prosecute parties responsible for any instance of election fraud because of lack of documentary evidence to present to court, he said.

Thus, Lente lawyers have had to monitor the canvass with no clue as to whether cheating was taking place, he added.

“The Lente canvass watchers were just looking at what was being written on documents used in the canvassing. There was no basis to know whether there was cheating since we ourselves do not know the real figures, not having ERs to base figures on,” Medina said, adding:

“If you do not have the ER from the precinct, how do you check the authenticity of the canvass at the municipal level? And ultimately, the certificates of canvass at the provincial and national levels?”

National tally first

PPCRV national legal counsel Howard Calleja, on the other hand, expressed alarm over the reported practice of many canvassers of prioritizing the tabulation of the local elections and putting aside the outcome of the senatorial and party-list elections for later scrutiny.

“The law says the [tabulation] should be done together, and if ever they are done separately, the national tabulation should be done first,” Calleja said.

Namfrel’s Alvia warned that this practice would discourage many volunteers from completing their monitoring duty.

“In most cases, if the [volunteers are] more concerned with the local tally, they lose interest in the national tally if this is done later. That’s why the national tally should be done ahead,” he said.

Medina went further, warning that if volunteers lost interest in completing their monitoring duties, they would leave the canvassing—“and that’s when the magic happens.”

Medina also said Lente volunteers in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, were barred from entering the room where the provincial canvassing was supposedly taking place.

“The board of canvassers denied us entry even if we presented our PPCRV identification, which serves as our authorization letter,” he said.

Legarda to sue

Elsewhere, GO candidate Loren Legarda yesterday threatened action against persons found involved in election fraud across the country.

Legarda said she would pursue charges against those engaged in dagdag-bawas (vote-padding and -shaving) and other forms of cheating.

“It’s not about being No. 1 or No. 12. It’s about the votes getting credited to the candidates who were meant to receive them,” said Legarda who, along with fellow GO candidate Francis Escudero, have been leading in Comelec and Namfrel counts.

Legarda made the statement in the wake of the alleged fraud in Maguindanao. She said she had also received reports of her votes getting shaved in Mountain Province.

“I’ve been a victim of cheating before, and I will not let the true will of the people be subverted yet again,” she said.

Escudero backed calls for an investigation of irregularities in the May 14 elections, and dismissed claims that the apparent victory of GO candidates was proof that the political exercise was clean and honest.

“The argument advanced is facile and faulty, one that assigns an effect to the wrong cause. We are winning in spite of the fraud,” Escudero said.

“The Comelec should proceed with its announced plans to look into possible cheating in Maguindanao,” he said.

The GO had earlier called on the poll body to investigate the allegations made by Namfrel provincial chair Hadj Abdullah Dalidig that the number of registered voters in Maguindanao had increased from 275,572 to 396,772.

Not so fast

Administration congressmen, however, believe that the Comelec has no authority to probe the Maguindanao elections in the absence of a poll protest.

House Deputy Majority Leader Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur and Antique Rep. Exequiel Javier, both lawyers, said the Comelec should wait for a formal protest from an aggrieved party before conducting an inquiry.

“There’s nothing strange or irregular with Team Unity’s 12-0 win in Maguindanao with the absence of a political machinery of the Genuine Opposition in the province,” Cerilles said.

“TU bets campaigned hard and their efforts were matched by the support given by the administration coalition’s political machinery. Hence, we urge the Comelec to be objective in dealing with issues raised against TU, especially if these are not backed by any formal complaint,” he said.

Javier said the vote-rigging claims of GO were mere allegations and “should not be dignified by the Comelec [with] an outright probe.”

“Let the accusers file their poll protest so this can be resolved at the proper forum,” he said.

Lanao del Sur

In Lanao del Sur, local election monitors believe that vote-rigging operations are ongoing.

According to Namfrel’s Dalidig, this is indicated by the refusal of local Comelec officials to hand over to them the sixth copy of ERs from the precincts.

“There is the possibility that dagdag-bawas has now gone down to the level of the ER,” Dalidig said.

A quick count is supposed to be a countervailing measure against a rigged official count. With the ERs not on hand, Namfrel is effectively defanged as a citizens’ arm to monitor irregularity in the counting of votes.

Dalidig believes this is a deliberate strategy on the part of Comelec officials “to hide the mysteries that they are going to do.”

It was Dalidig who, armed with figures derived from the ERs, blew the whistle on the alleged massive fraud committed by Comelec officials in Lanao del Sur to favor President Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 presidential election.

As of yesterday morning, 12 towns have completed the precinct-level canvass. But Namfrel is in possession of only five complete sets of ERs from five towns—Bumbaran, Malabang, Ditsaan Ramain, Bubong and Madamba.

Most of the Marawi ERs are also with Namfrel.

The release of ERs to Namfrel was done on a bulk basis, meaning, after the canvass of all the precincts in a town has been completed.

Although this arrangement does not sit well with Dalidig, he said he still allowed local Comelec officials the benefit of the doubt, as long as the ERs were delivered within the day the last precinct-level canvass was completed.

Failure of elections

Macabangkit Lanto, a congressional candidate of Ms Arroyo’s party, Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi), yesterday asked the Comelec to declare a failure of elections in Picong, Lanao del Sur.

Lanto complained that in Picong, he scored zero, the members of the boards of election inspectors were fakes, and election returns were filled up in advance.

“The elections in the entire municipality of Picong is invalid, illegal and sham. In effect, there was no election to speak of,” said Lanto, a lawyer, and a former justice undersecretary and ambassador to Egypt. With reports from Jerome Aning and Edson C. Tandoc Jr. in Manila; Ryan D. Rosauro and Nash B. Maulana, Inquirer Mindanao