Cebuanos enraged over fraud tag

CEBU — Enraged Cebuanos want Maguindanao Rep. Didagen Dilan-galen out of the Congress canvassing after he claimed that Cebu ballots have been corrupted with massive cheating and vote-padding.

"Pataka lang na si Dilangalen og buka sa iyang baba (Dilangalen is mouthing just pure nonsense)," said a furious Simaco Labata, city election officer and president of the Association of Cebu Commission on Elections Employees.

Labata said Dilangalen should make a public apology and should be inhibited from taking part in the canvassing for the presidential and vice presidential races.

"He should not take part in the canvassing not just because of his abrasive behavior but also because he ran for an elective post in the elections this year and thus, would not be spared from bias," he said.

Dilangalen, who ran as senator under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, alleged that there was vote-shaving and vote-buying in Cebu City.

He showed alleged discrepancies in the statements of votes for the polling precincts of Inayawan and Lahug.

He pointed out that while polling precinct 556-A in Barangay Lahug showed President Arroyo with 51 votes and Poe with 14, the statement of votes allegedly indicated that Mrs. Arroyo’s votes were bloated to 146 and Poe’s reduced to 13.

"He is misleading the public. He is guilty of deceit and misrepresentation of facts. That is an insult to the Cebuano people," Labata said.

Cebu City south district Rep. Antonio Cuenco also accused Dilan-galen of trying to mislead the public by distorting the truth in his efforts to delay the canvassing process, in collusion with the KNP’s defeated candidates.

Cuenco said this was purposely done to make Cebu the target of attack, especially since Mrs. Arroyo garnered 1.1 million votes in Cebu and 220,000 votes in Cebu City, while Poe only got a scant 58,000 votes.

"But we are trying to defend the integrity of the process," Cuenco said.

He challenged Dilangalen to open the election returns and check if, indeed, there was cheating in the statement of votes.

Meanwhile, the uproar against Dilan-galen took a new twist. Dilangalen may have found himself hitting his own nephew, Omar Mamalinta.

Mamalinta was one of the Comelec employees who chaired the sub-canvassing committees in Cebu City and was actually the one who tabulated the votes in polling precinct 556-A in Barangay Lahug.

Labata described Mamalinta, the election assistant officer in the Comelec-North District, as a "very diligent" employee.

Because of this, Labata said it is impossible for Dilangalen not to know the exact figures or votes garnered by the candidates in the Lahug polling precinct.

Gov. Pablo Garcia said Dilangalen’s accusation was insulting to Cebuanos. — Freeman News Service