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661,001
troop to polling areas
ATTY. PETALCORIN |
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The
Commission on Elections (Comelec) will try to disprove
allegations that massive cheating will take place in
Monday's polls where some 661,001 registered voters
will troop to 3,265 precincts to elect local and national
officials.
This,
even as the Comelec-PNP Regional Election Joint Command
has confirmed reports that vote-buying has started as
early as Thursday in some Bohol towns.
Meanwhile, some 150 elements of the Philippine Army's
302nd Infantry Brigade and 5th Infantry Battalion as
well as the PNP's Regional Mobile Group (RMG) have been
mobilized in 17 municipalities where election-related
violence may occur.
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Provincial
Comelec Supervisor Atty. Veronico Petalcorin, in an interview
with the Chronicle, denied the existence of "Oplan Mercury
Rising," an alleged ploy to rig election results in favor
of administration bets as bared by some retired generals.
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The
retired generals specifically cited Bohol as one of
the areas where victory for administration candidates
must be secured, quoting intelligence reports. The other
provinces where election fraud are said to take place
include Cebu, Eastern Samar and some Mindanao provinces.
The
Chronicle learned that two foreign representatives of
an international agency arrived yesterday to personally
observe Monday's polls in this province that is known
as an administration bailiwick.
Petalcorin
slammed the accusations made by congressional aspirant
lawyer Victor dela Serna, who claimed to have received
a confirmation of such an order coming from Malacañang
through retired PNP Director Recaredo Sarmiento.
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"Oplan
Mercury Rising" allegedly ordered Comelec's Regional
Election Directors and Provincial Election Supervisors to
ensure that Monday's polls will favor administration bets.
The
massive cheating will allegedly take place down to the precinct
level, according to the retired generals.
Petalcorin
pointed out that those who are making accusations that the
Comelec will allow cheating to happen are "just conditioning
the minds" of electors that there will indeed be cheating
in Monday's polls.
Petalcorin
reasoned out that the perception of massive cheating to occur
in Bohol was due to the alleged fraud that took place in the
2004 presidential elections where then vice presidential aspirant
Loren Legarda questioned election returns here in the province.
The
provincial election supervisor said, until now the petition
filed by Legarda is still unresolved. Many ballot boxes allocated
for Bohol could not be used since these are being held by
the Comelec pending the resolution of Legarda's protest, Petalcorin
said.
Petalcorin
explained further that poll-watch bodies such as the Parish
Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) have copies
of election returns where they could start proving if there
really was such fraud and even the minority party and majority
party have copies of the questioned election returns.
AREAS
OF CONCERN
Some
150 elements of the Army are now deployed in 17 towns which
are perceived as potential "hot spots" due to the
existence of armed groups identified with candidates, intense
political rivalry and the presence of communist insurgents.
Col.
Jesse Dellosa, 302nd IB commander, told the Chronicle that
the deployment of augmentation troops in 17 towns have been
approved by Comelec Commissioner-in-charge for Central Visayas
Resurreccion Borra as recommended by PNP Bohol Director SSupt.
Edgardo Ingking.
The
towns with augmentation troops include Panglao, Trinidad,
Inabanga, Tubigon, Alicia, Calape, Candijay and Bien Unido.
Moreover,
three Army squads are also placed in identified guerilla zones
of the NPA's Front-1 Party Committee in the towns of Balilihan,
Batuan, Bilar, Carmen, Catigbian, Sagbayan and Sevilla.
Dellosa
has appealed to local candidates to help in preserving a clean
and orderly elections.
Yesterday,
a text message from former Bohol PNP Director SSupt. Arturo
Evangelista, now Asst PNP Regional Director for Operations,
revealed that vote-buying has started in Bohol and was one
of the subjects of an intelligence briefing.
LAWYERS'
GROUP WATCH ON POLL FRAUD
A
nationwide network of volunteer lawyers and paralegals called
Legal network for Truthful Election or "LENTE" has
warned electors on the different forms of election fraud.
The
group's provincial coordinator, Atty. Raul Barbarona told
the Chronicle that they will be assigning their volunteer-members
in the different towns in coordination with the Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).
The
group pointed out that fraud can be done before voting, during
voting hours, during the counting of votes, during the transfer
of ballot boxes from the polling place to the election registrar
and during the canvassing of votes.
As
part of their election monitoring, Barbarona urged that voters
should report any forms of bribery, intimidation and kidnapping
or holding of voters so that they cannot vote.
The
presence of "vote-buyers", "intimidator",
or "leaders" in the polling areas should also be
reported.
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