Comelec's Yusoph denies receiving bribe from Lanao politicians

(Updated 11:55 p.m.) Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Elias Yusoph has denied that he received money from local candidates in Lanao del Sur province before the May 10 elections as accused by a military official. He also chided Brig. Gen. Ray Ardo, chief of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, for coming up with an accusation based on “rumors and hearsay." “He is a menace to the military," Yusoph told reporters in an interview Tuesday. “This is unprofessional and being a general at that, he should not believe in rumors and hearsay." Ardo was quoted in the online magazine Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (Pecojon) Online as saying that the abduction of Yusoph’s son, Nuraldin, may have been perpetrated by defeated local candidates who wanted a “refund" from the Comelec official. The military official denied giving such statement, saying he has neither right nor basis to say such a thing against a Comelec official. “That's not accurate. I am not party to the Comelec, I am not a politician. I am only involved in security. I did not say that. I am not party to their transaction. I am not from the Comelec. What will be my basis for that?" Ardo said in an interview. Nevertheless, Yusoph said he was “shocked" with Ardo’s alleged statement. “Until I was appointed here as one of the commissioners of the Commission on Elections, I cannot remember any losing candidate in Marawi, Lanao del Sur that I have received money from. This was very shocking," he said. He added that prior to his appointment to the Comelec, he had a long and untainted career in the judiciary as a prosecutor. “In my 32 years as public prosecutor in Marawi City, I have gained the confidence of my people because I performed my function as a prosecutor. I have never compromised my office," Yusoph said. Nuraldin was released two weeks ago after a month in the hands of an unidentified group who sought the nullification of certain votes in Lanao del Sur in exchange for the victim’s freedom. Yusoph said Ardo’s alleged accusation may have been prompted by his earlier statements expressing dismay for the military’s inaction toward his son’s abduction. Yusoph had also accused the military of conniving with unlawful elements in the province, which he said resulted to the non-resolution of numerous cases. “You know, this General Ardo has an axe to grind against me. That’s why he wanted to destroy my name," he said. Yusoph likewise said he is considering filing a libel suit against Ardo for the statements he made. - AC/KBK, GMANews.TV