More problems due to Comelec

There is no doubt that the Comelec showed no transparency in the last two elections… despite the pretense that they were trying to be transparent. In my book, the group of the Automated Election System (AES) watch did their homework together with non-politician groups and friends in order to get into the truth as to what happened in the last May 2013 elections.

Our good friend and fellow STAR columnist Jarius Bondoc’s last column that “there were more votes than voters” in Pasay City is another visible proof that the CF cards were pre-programmed by the shadows working behind or with the Comelec to come up with that mysterious phenomenon 60%-30%-10%, which we already found out was not only done in the Senatorial race, but went down to the local elections as well.

Now it can be told why in the elections in Cebu City, Mrs. Margot Osmeña garnered the highest votes for Councilor in the South District of Cebu City, but her husband, Rep. Tomas Osmeña lost to incumbent Mayor Michael Rama. It only meant that there was a wide lead by Mayor Rama vis-à-vis Tomas Osmeña… that despite the huge advantage given to Liberal Party candidates, it wasn’t enough to catch up and unseat the incumbent Mayor.

This phenomenon also explains why the unbeatable 1st District Congressman Eduardo Gullas lost to a nobody and now Talisay Mayor Johnny delos Reyes, while in the 2nd District Rep. Pablo Garcia lost to Rep. Willy Caminero. Apparently many pundits shared similar reports, similar to what happened in the Province of Cebu where there was a delay in the canvassing of votes… because of at least 12 busted CF cards and transmission glitches.

What I find strange is the report by Central Visayas Comelec Director Temie Lambino that voter turnout for Cebu Province was approximately 85%, which he believes was due to the cleansing of the voter’s list. Then he pointed out that in the 2010 polls voter turnout was only 80%. So if the voter’s list was cleansed don’t you think that the voter turnout would have been much less? As the King in the King & I musical said, “Ezzz a puzzlement!”

I have no doubt that the May 2013 polls would go into history as the worst election fraud that was ever perpetrated in this country. Why do I say this? We already know that the Comelec is one of the most corrupt agencies of the government and proof of the pudding was the infamous walkout by computer programmers out of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) that triggered the EDSA Revolt in 1986 under President Marcos.

What makes matters worse is many journalists have been writing about the mortal sins of the Comelec and yet the majority of Filipinos are totally unaware that their right to suffrage was taken away from them… through the PCOS machines. If the Filipino people were outraged at the so-called “Hello Garci” phone call by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, what the Comelec has done in the last two elections is far worse than the Hello Garci case. If you ask me, someone ought to pay for this crime.

We already wrote about the powerpoint presentation given by former Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon to PHILCONSA a week ago, but apparently we did not hear any reaction to this presentation. Meanwhile, what Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes is boasting about the accuracy of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) at 99.9 percent. But the accuracy is no longer the issue… the issue is, the source code was pre-programmed to bring about the 60%-30%-10% results nationwide not just for the Senatorial candidates… but it has been the same in the local election level.

In the town of Tudela, Camotes, Cebu for instance, audit logs show election returns dated on Mar. 24 for the Municipal Board of Canvassers in all the precincts. So can we say that elections were already done since Mar. 24 long before the May 13 elections? The people in Camotes are not happy with what they have been hearing about the PCOS machines.

Meanwhile, just across Camotes Island, in the town of Baybay, Leyte, The  Freeman reported that the electoral protest by Mayoralty bet Marilou “Malot” Galenzoga against the proclamation of Mayor Carmen Cari had turned violent where more than 700 protesters were arrested. What made matters worse was that, the military apparently sided with Mayor Cari, which should not be the case especially in a heated political contest.

Frankly speaking, I was just reading the Freeman report, but I would like to get into the bottom of this potentially explosive case because the people of Baybay are not known to be violent. So why was there violence in Baybay? I gathered that Mayoralty bet Marilou Galenzoga is in Manila seeking the aid of the media to expose what happened in this sleepy town in Leyte, which are just a few kilometers south of Ormoc City. These things are happening because the Comelec created more problems instead of solving them.

*    *    *

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.