'Fraud in automated polls in South possible'

MANILA, Philippines - Lawyer Aquilino Pimentel III warned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday of the possibility of computerized poll fraud in some parts in Mindanao, which he alleged are being controlled by a “syndicate” that carried out massive fraud in past elections.

With the computerized elections, Pimentel said the syndicate can now carry out their activities without a trace because of the absence of signatures, compared to manual polls where forged handwriting can be easily detected.

“In areas controlled by the syndicate, what will be the remedy available to the victims of election fraud committed by the shading of thousands of votes by the syndicate?” he asked during the weekly Daungan ng Balita media forum at the Danarra Hotel in Quezon City.

He said the syndicate could get hold of official ballots at gunpoint and bring them elsewhere where they would be shaded.

Pimentel, who has a pending electoral protest against Sen. Miguel Zubiri before the Senate Electoral Tribunal, said he has informed the Comelec of possible computerized poll fraud in certain areas in Mindanao.

He alleged that the areas controlled by the syndicate are the province of Maguindanao, whose former election officer Lintang Bedol was found guilty of contempt by the Comelec, and the towns of Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Salvador and Poona Piagapo in Lanao del Norte, Tamparan in Lanao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat.

“There are areas in our country which are not under the control of the Comelec or the Comelec has become part of the syndicate. These are the areas where the syndicate was able to stuff ballots or empty many of the ballot boxes,” he said.

Pimentel said he has submitted names to the Comelec, including those facing charges for dagdag-bawas (vote padding and shaving) in the 2007 elections.