COPS APPEAR AT DOJ W/ STOLEN ELECTION RESULTS / MIKE A. TAGGED W/ '04 FRAUD
MANILA, JULY 30, 2011 (STAR) By Angelo L. Gutierrez - Six members of the police's elite force today surfaced at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and turned over more election returns (ERs), which they allegedly stole from the Batasan Pambansa building in 2005.
"We seek justice by revealing the truth," Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago declared before reporters at the Department of Justice (DOJ) office in Manila.
Santiago tagged along with him four more members of the Special Action Force (SAF), who have admitted to their involvement in the switching of at least 6,000 ERs kept inside the House of Representatives' building in January 2005.
The five other SAF members were Police Officer 2 Rodel Tabangin, PO2 Alan Layugan, PO2 Rudy Gahar, PO2 Tripon Lacsamana and PO1 Norman Duco.
The policemen were accompanied by their lawyers, including Victor Rodrigue
PO2 Alan Layugan, PO2 Trifon Laxamana, PO1 Norman Duco, and PO2 Rodel Tabangin. They were accompanied by their legal counsels led by lawyer Victor Rodriguez.
Santiago said that more men in uniform are involved in massive poll cheating in 2005, and urged them to be "gentleman enough" to come out and tell the truth.
Santiago and his group turned over 38 copies of ERs, which is part of the boxes of election documents, they took from the Batasan Pambansa building and switched with fake ERs that were allegedly prepared by election lawyer Roque Bello, his son Roel Bello and 10 other unidentified men.
The SAF official said that they will submit sworn statements, detailing the break-ins at the Batasan during weekends in January 2005, next week.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that the policemen are always on the move, which makes it hard for them to execute their sworn statements.
She said that she will provide the Commission on Elections copies of the sworn statements. The DOJ and the Comelec have agreed to jointly investigate allegations of election fraud in 2004 and 2007.
Santiago told reporters at the DOJ that he and other members of the group have been receiving death threats, which prompted them to seek protection from the justice department.
The police official, meanwhile, denied that they are involved in the massive election cheating in 2004. He said that they were just following orders.
He added that they have wanted to come out, but they were afraid of the people behind the massive poll fraud.
"We know that our lives are at risk here, our families. We know we are facing powerful people but there will be no turning back," Santiago said.
De Lima said yesterday that Santiago's group claims that aside from the Bellos, former Philippine National Police chief and now Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and former SAF director, Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco were involved in the operation.
The justice chief said that in her conversation with Santiago, the police official had initially revealed that a certain FG, referring to former first gentleman Mike Arroyo, financed the operation.
At the press conference, Santiago publicly apologized to actress Susan Roces, widow of the late Fernando Poe Jr., the closest rival of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the 2004 presidential election.
"We would like to extend our apology to Madame Susan Roces for the error. At this point, we are trying to rectify," he said.
De Lima said yesterday that according to Santiago's group, they were involved in at least four break-ins at the Batasan. She said that the break-ins targeted votes from 6,000 precincts.
She said that the operation involved at least 1.2 million votes, which is about the same number of Mrs. Arroyo's lead votes over Poe.
Santiago, meanwhile, told the reporters that their decision to come out is not connected with the surfacing of several witnesses to the alleged poll fraud in 2004 and 2007, including former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol.
Arroyo's lawyer, Raul Lambino, said yesterday that Santiago's group could be part of a grand plan to pin the former president to poll fraud allegations.
Before Bedol surface, suspended ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan implicated Mrs. Arroyo and the former first gentleman in election cheating in 2007.
Prior to Ampatuan's revelation, he came out saying he is willing to turn state witness against his father and brothers. The Ampatuans are accused of masterminding the killing of 58 people, including journalists and civilians, in Maguindanao last Nov. 23, 2009.
Malacanang had denied that the series of revelations and coming out of poll fraud witnesses is stage-managed by the administration.
FROM MALAYA
Namfrel official tells of cheating in '04 polls; Mike A. Tagged in Switching of returns BY GERARD NAVAL AND JP LOPEZ JULY 29, 2011
AN official of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) yesterday surfaced at the Commission on Elections, claiming extensive knowledge about alleged fraud operations in 2004 elections favoring then president Gloria Arroyo.
At the Senate, a police officer turned over to the office of Sen. Panfilo Lacson copies of videos supposedly showing the alleged switching of election returns (ERs) at the Batasang Pambansa where the documents had been kept before the canvassing in the 2004 national elections.
At the Department of Justice, Secretary Leila de Lima said a police officer, who earlier surfaced and claimed he and his men stole original ERs kept at the Batasang Pambansa and replaced these with fake ones, tagged former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo as "financier" of the supposed poll fraud operations.
De Lima and Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes said they expect more witnesses to the alleged massive cheating in the 2004 and 2007 elections to surface. At the Comelec, Namfrel Lanao del Sur chair Hadji Abdullah Daligdig met with Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes after filing an affidavit.
Daligdig said there is a need to know how Arroyo won over Fernando Poe Jr. in the presidential race. "The truth should prevail. And I think this will show that the past president maybe is a fake president," he said. In his affidavit, Daligdig said that of the 500,000 votes in Lanao del Sur, more than 200,000 were shaved from Poe. "Hindi nila naiba yung election returns na pinanindigan ko, which I have submitted to the Senate.
Pinanindigan ko yan," Daligdig said. Daligdig was one of those who testified before the Senate in 2005 about the alleged manipulation of election results in his province in favor of Arroyo. Daligdig even said the May 2004 presidential election was the "dirtiest" of all five elections he has monitored in Lanao del Sur.
Brillantes said the information from Daligdig would be presented to the joint probe on the 2004 and 2007 electoral fraud to be conducted by the Department of Justice and the Comelec. He said this could be used by the investigating panel, along with the original ERs submitted to De Lima by police Senior Supt. Rafael Santiago, who said he and his men stole these from the Batasan.
According to Santiago, he has in his possession the authentic ERs they stole and replaced with fake ones so that Arroyo would be assured of the victory over Poe in the event of a recount.
Brillantes said: "I will not be able to speak too much about the details on what happened in Congress. What happened to the ERs. I have the details but I will not speak it out now. These will be the subject of the investigation to be created: the joint committee of Comelec and DOJ."
On more witnesses coming out, Brillantes said, "Every time you publish these (stories), everybody would like to come out…Mas matapang na sila kasi wala na sa administration yung mga itinuturo nila. Hindi ka pwede magturo kapag andyan pa sila." De Lima said Santiago named Mike Arroyo as having financed the Batasan operations. "But as to whether Santiago had personal knowledge, I don't know… that can be clarified in his affidavit," she said.
Santiago was former chief of the PNP Metro Manila Intelligence Division. De Lima related he was told by Santiago that replacing the ERs was to make sure that Arroyo would still be the president should there be a recount based on the election protest filed by Poe. She added that Santiago said there were at least four break-ins at the Batasan Pambansa in January 2005, supposedly ordered by then PNP chief Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and then Special Action Force head Chief Supt. Marcelino Franco. Franco retired from police service in 2005. He was also one of the police officials investigated for an alleged plot to stage a coup in February 2006. "Itong mga personnel, mga tao ni Santiago, they were kept out of the loop.
Operations like that are being compartmentalized on a need-to-know basis," said De Lima. "Ang alam lang nila is they were supposed to escort and transport certain individuals," she added. De Lima also said she was told that the fake ERs were produced at the house of a former election official, Roque Bello. She said she knows Bello, she being a former election lawyer herself. "It turned out to be the residence of Attorney Bello...He is a former election supervisor. He has a son, Roel Bello. I can say they have the reputation of being election operators," she said.
'AUTHENTIC' ERs
She also said that of the 6,000 stolen ERs at the Batasan, about 50 were in Santiago's possession. De Lima said the ERs presented to her appear authentic. "All of these, four ERs na tiningnan namin…alam namin ang mga security marks and our initial determination or finding is that this is authentic…Of course, subject to validation sa mas nakakalam sa Comelec," she said.
The four ERs in her possession reflected votes from Precinct 54-A in Mapun town in Tawi-Tawi province; Precinct 61-A in Pangutaran, Sulu; Clustered Precincts 226-A and 226-B in Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental; and Precinct 35-A in Magsaysay town in Lanao del Norte. She said Santiago's group is set to turn over more stolen ERs to her office soon. De Lima also said Santiago and his men are being considered for the witness protection program. "They requested for my presence because they want to be sure of their protection. That is all they ask," she said.
AWOL?
The PNP said it is ready to provide security and protection to Santiago and the other police personnel who would come out. PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr. said Santiago is "technically on absent without leave status" and has not reported to PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame since July 7 when he was reassigned. He said Santiago, a member of PMA Class '86, had served as provincial director of Zambales for two years, the maximum period for assignments for provincial directors, and was reassigned to the Directorate for Operations in Camp Crame.
At the Senate, Lacson identified the prospective witness as "Lt. Joel Pinawin," a former liaison of the Special Action Forces. Pinawin turned over to Lacson eight short video clips of police officers purportedly switching ERs. Lacson said he failed to interview Pinawin at length. He said with the video clips, "little and big secrets are starting to come out of the woodwork."
"This will hopefully reinforce Col. Santiago, ang kanyang revelation because kasama ang video (na kuha mismo) sa loob ng Batasan," he said, adding he wishes the other members of Santiago's team "can still come out in the open." He also said he would withdraw his resolution calling for an investigation on the alleged massive cheating and instead turn over the video to the Comelec. With the revelation of Santiago, Lacson said Ebdane could be held liable for election sabotage, a capital offense punishable with life imprisonment.
PENDING CASES
Brillantes said the Comelec recently found out that there is still a pending case against Arroyo and Comelec commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. This means the issue of prescription period for election offenses has become moot. He said the case was filed by disbarred lawyer Alan Paguia in March 2007. Brillantes said last week that he believes that Arroyo and Garcillano can still be charged over allegations that they participated in the supposed poll fraud operations in the 2004 presidential elections. Brillantes claim was supported by Paguia himself, saying the case he had long filed is very much alive and should thus be pursued. Paguia was a former lawyer of deposed president Joseph Estrada and was disbarred by the Supreme Court after he lambasted magistrates for allegedly "illegally swearing-in Arroyo as president." – With Raymond Africa and Wendell Vigilia
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