Palace: Bring issues vs Comelec to proper forum

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday reiterated its call to those with issues against the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to air their complaint in the proper forum.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte cited the disqualified party-list groups with pending cases with the Supreme Court (SC) to appeal their case.

“If we are looking at the disqualification of the five, we did not have the chance to look at the basis or the decision of the Comelec, but these party-list organizations have legal recourses that are available to them. And we leave that particular step to them should they choose to take it,” Valte said over radio dzRB.

The disqualified groups are the Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines, Philippine Coconut Producers Federation, Abang Lingkod, Binhi-Partido ng mga Magsasaka para sa mga Magsasaka and Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy.

Valte said the Comelec would also be in the best position to reply to insinuations of fraud with the discovery of an alleged pattern in the votes cast for senator in the May 13 elections.

She said she could not comment on Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.’s decision to reject an investigation.

Valte earlier said allegations of irregularities against the Comelec must be backed with evidence and brought before the proper forum.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal had said a voting pattern was not an indication of fraud or irregularity as shown in various decisions of the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.

 Macalintal said the alleged “60-30-10” pattern of voting in favor of administration senatorial bets is not sufficient ground or legal or factual basis to question the results of the elections.

“Precinct count optical scan critics should come up with more convincing evidence like inaccurate PCOS count instead of mere speculative statistical data. If the result is 60-30-10 consistent in all areas then with more reason that the results were accurate. It would have been different if the counts were so inconsistent or radically different in various areas,” he said.

Comelec intel funds

In a related development, poll watchdog Automated Election System (AES) Watch urged Brillantes to clarify how he used his intelligence funds.

“If it is true that the fund was sought, quoting Malacañang spokesperson Abigail Valte, to spy on ‘the activities of certain groups, individuals, and technology experts suspected of sabotaging the elections,’ then all the more must Brillantes explain whether such intelligence operations are targeting AES Watch, its affiliate organizations, IT groups, other citizens groups, and anti-fraud movements that have been openly vocal against the mismanagement by Comelec of the automated elections since the beginning,” said AES Watch spokesman Nelson Celis.

Former Comelec commissioner Augusto Lagman had revealed that poll officials were receiving intelligence funds. Brillantes admitted receiving P30 million in 2012.

“Brillantes doesn’t have to ask the President for millions of taxpayers’ money to conduct surveillance on us,” Celis said.

Celis said Brillantes has “besmirched the title of the head of a constitutional body” like Comelec by resorting to “threats and intimidation” to silent its critics.

He added that Brillantes was “unable to refute our critical findings on the conduct of the automated elections.”

“The Comelec chief has gone beyond the bounds of decency and fair play. He’s using his powers not only to send chilling effects on the IT community and election watchers but now, using alleged intelligence funds, he is out as well to attack our civil liberties,” he added.  –With Sheila Crisostomo