Comelec to probe extortion attempt on Buhay party-list

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will investigate the attempt to extort El Shaddai-backed Buhay party-list in exchange for a sure victory in the May automated polls, an official said on Friday. The poll body will coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the supposed extortion scam, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said on Friday. On Thursday, five persons who claimed they were from the Office of the President were arrested for allegedly extorting P10 million from Buhay to ensure its win in the May 10 polls. The NBI is reportedly set to file criminal charges against the suspects before the city prosecutor’s office. The NBI is one of the agencies working with the Comelec in investigating cases connected with the supposed irregularities in the automated polls. Larrazabal, for his part, assured the public that poll body is also doing something about the matter. "We are doing something, we're not just pushing it aside... I hope they understand this," he said. Suspects won’t be let off easily if they are proven guilty, he said. "What's important is that (if) these people are from Comelec, they have to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If these individuals are not from Comelec but representing themselves to be officials of the Comelec, they still have to be prosecuted," he said. Buhay is faring well in the recent elections, ranking third among 187 groups with 1,249,555 votes, according to the latest Comelec tally. The top two are Ako Bicol Political Party with 1,522,986 votes, and the Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines with 1,292,182. The party-list group, however, is also facing disqualification for allegedly being a "religious sect." The Comelec disqualified Buhay in 2001 for supposedly being an extension of El Shaddai. The Supreme Court, however, reversed the decision for lack of evidence in 2003 During the May 2007 polls, the Buhay party-list system received 1.169 million votes, which is 7.4 percent of total votes cast, allowing the group to secure three seats in Congress. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV