'Fishing expedition,' Noynoy says of alleged poll fraud

As allegations of cheating continue to crop up, president-apparent Sen. Benigno Aquino III has only one thing to say about these. "What I managed to observe, but this may seem self-serving, the allegations again are more on the level of a fishing expedition rather than the presentation of solid evidence that would buttress all of the allegations," Aquino said at a press briefing on Thursday in his Quezon City home. House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Quezon City Rep. Mary Ann Susano have claimed of widespread fraud in their respective turfs in May 10 elections, wherein they lost their mayoral bids in Davao City and Quezon City, respectively. Earlier this week, Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert "Ace" Barbers, who lost his reelection bid, claimed before the House Electoral Reform and Suffrage hearing on poll fraud that an operator offered him services to ensure his victory. But Barbers said he did not accept the offer, which supposedly cost P50 million. Most of the losing bets crying fraud are allied with the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, the dominant majority party in the country's first nationwide automated elections. But Aquino on Thursday said: "You have a party in power crying, making all of these allegations, and that really seems strange." He also questioned the timing of those claiming they were given offers to help rig the poll results. "Now the valid observation also is if they were approached at some point in time by people who would manipulate the elections, why is it only now after losing in the elections that they come up and issue all these allegations," Aquino said. In a joint session sitting as the national board of canvassers, Congress has yet to canvass the votes for president and vice president. Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. is leading the House Electoral Reform and Suffrage committee's probe on supposed election fraud. — RSJ, GMANews.TV