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DUMAGUETE
CITY. The top official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
in Negros Oriental was charged with extortion after being
arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in
a sting operation yesterday, as reported by the Negros Chronicle.
Comelec
Region 7 supervisor Manuel Advincula was charged with extortion
by the NBI, which acted on a complaint filed by a cousin of
Finance Secretary Margarito Teves.
Advincula denied the charges and was allowed to post bail.
Initial
reports said the complainant, Edgar Teves, sought assistance
from the NBI, claiming Advincula was asking for P300,000 in
exchange for dropping a disqualification case filed against
the candidate by his uncle, incumbent Negros Oriental Rep.
Herminio Teves.
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The
younger Teves admit-ted paying Advincula half of the
amount last April but pointed out that the election
official was asking him to pay the balance immediately.
Teves
told the NBI that Advincula sent him a text message
urging him to pay the remaining amount.
Teves
haggled for a lower amount, trying to persuade Advincula
that he had no more money left. He said the Comelec
official agreed to P50,000.
It
was then that Teves decided to trap Advincula by calling
on NBI regional director Medandro Delimas for help.
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Advincula
was surprised by a team of 17 NBI agents at his office when
he received a paper bag from Teves containing the P50,000
cash.
After
he was charged before the City Prosecutor's Office here, Advincula
was able to post bail for his temporary liberty.
According
to Delimas, they have strong case against Advincula which
is serious enough to warrant the perpetual disqualification
of the Comelec official from holding any government position.
Comelec
Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said the poll body has ordered
the relief of Advincula.
"I
have contacted our regional director there if the evidence
against him is strong. He should be relieved and another honest
and competent official should replace him," Borra added.
Regional
election director Ray Rene Buac, in a radio interview here,
said the arrest of Advincula came as a surprise.
Buac
appealed to the public against prejudging the Comelec following
Advincula's arrest.
Meanwhile,
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel urged the public to be more vigilant
on election day, pointing out the discovery of pre-fabricated
election returns in Bukidnon and Zamboanga and the seizure
of fake P500-peso bills in southern Philippines.
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