Justice chief studies poll fraud claim
By Jill Beltran
July 21, 2011
MANILA — Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Tuesday that she was still looking for concrete evidence on the poll cheating allegations of former Maguindanao election officer Lintang Bedol, who is serving jail term for indirect contempt.
After four years of hiding, Bedol appeared before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Tuesday. The Comelec cited him for indirect contempt for failing to answer summonses and losing custody of Maguindanao election documents.
The poll body committed him Tuesday to the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame in Quezon City. He will stay there for six months as prisoner.
De Lima said concrete evidence is needed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) can take actions on Bedol’s claims that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo rigged the results of the 2004 and 2007 elections.
“We need to ensure that this investigation will lead to something especially in terms of accountability,” de Lima said Tuesday in Malacañang.
She said the ballots, election returns, and certificate of votes used during the alleged fraudulent elections are essential to substantiate Bedol’s claims.
While she admitted that the result of the elections can no longer be nullified, she said what is important is that “the country can know the truth about what happened during those elections and find out who is accountable.”
“We are laying down the groundwork for the investigation not to declare who was true winner but to know how massive the cheating was and the most important is accountability,” she said.
De Lima said the DOJ has created a panel of prosecutors to strengthen the cases against the Arroyo administration regarding various anomalies.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, for his part, remained tentative about Bedol’s allegations that he orchestrated the cheating for the Arroyo administrations senatorial line-up in 2007 elections.
“We don’t know yet, if his testimony would add anything to what is being claimed right now. We will just have to wait and see,” he said, when asked whether the Palace welcomed Bedol’s testimony.
Authorities had been searching for Bedol for four years after evading an arrest warrant issued by the Comelec. He appeared Tuesday wearing a bulletproof vest and surrendered to the Comelec.
He had been in the custody of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) since Friday, according to Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo.
The Comelec en banc voted 6-1 for Bedol’s transfer to the PNP custodial center in Quezon City. His jail term officially started Tuesday, said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes.
Brillantes and Commissioner Christian Robert Lim presented Bedol to the media shortly after the en banc session, but the former poll official did not entertain questions.
His counsel, Roberto Ultado Jr., said Bedol voluntarily surrendered to the DILG upon learning that the Comelec has renewed his arrest warrant.
“We came here today to formally turn over the person of Atty. Bedol to the Comelec. He is okay. He was treated well,” Ultado said.
Brillantes said the Commission has yet to discuss plans to conduct an investigation into Bedol’s poll cheating allegations.
“We haven’t discussed the investigation yet. We still have to talk to him further,” the Comelec chair said. (With FP/Sunnex)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/07/19/justice-chief-studies-poll-fraud-claim-167842
Best Restaurant in Clark Pampanga unveils regional dinner menu featuring the classic cuisine of Italy, all designed to pair nicely with fine vintage wines from Italy’s wine regions such as Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto and Sicily, one more reasons for food and wine lovers to travel to Angeles City, Clark Philippines to satisfy their thirst for a wonderful meal at a fine dining restaurant, the best place to eat in Pampanga.
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