In poll fraud probe, Comelec chairman may testify, not preside

As the Commission on Elections prepares to investigate alleged cheating in the 2007 elections in Mindanao, its chairman may take the witness stand instead of presiding over the hearings. Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes on Thursday said he may inhibit himself from the probe because he has some “knowledge" about the alleged cheating in the 2007 polls. He also said may be biased against some of the prospective resource persons. “Probably mag-inhibit (ako) pero imo-monitor ko ang ginagawa nila kasi baka tumestigo pa nga ako diyan meron kaming nalalaman eh," he said in an interview on dzXL radio Thursday. He said the Comelec "might create a special committee to look into the alleged fraud," following recent claims by at least two former perceived allies of the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration. Still 'feeling sore' Brillantes was an election lawyer for the then Genuine Opposition, three of whose senatorial bets received zero votes in Maguindanao province in the 2007 polls. Brillantes said one of the reasons why he wants to inhibit himself from the investigation is because he is still sore at former Comelec official Lintang Bedol, then the provincial election supervisor in Maguindanao when the alleged 2007 fraud occurred. “Kung magkaroon ng formal investigation sana masabi ko in advance, ako abogado ng Genuine Opposition, galit na galit ako kay Bedol. Ayoko naman maging biased ako so I might not participate too much," he said. Earlier this week, Bedol was quoted in media interviews as saying there was fraud in the 2007 polls. However, Brillantes said they want Bedol to reiterate his claims personally before the Comelec. “Handa kami pero kailangan makausap namin muna at matingnan kung ano ang sinasabi niya. Noon hindi siya nagsasalita. Siya ang aming suspetsang nandadaya doon eh," he said. Sarmiento's denial Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento denied Bedol’s reported claims linking him to the alleged 2007 poll fraud, saying he was never in Maguindanao at the time. “He may have tried to link me to the poll fraud because at the time he was being investigated, I was vocal in calling on him to surface and submit himself to investigation," Sarmiento said in an interview on dwIZ radio. “Malinis ang aking konsensya at may ginagampanan tayong trabaho at walang ginawang kalokohan sa halalan," he added. Sarmiento said he is ready to face any investigation, including a possible probe of the matter by the House of Representatives. Sarmiento noted that Bedol is no longer connected with the Comelec, which had cited him for serious insubordination and serious misconduct. He said the Comelec law department had also lodged a criminal case against him but the case is not moving because Bedol could not be found. Zaldy's claims Meanwhile, earlier this week, suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Zaldy Ampatuan claimed that anomalies and fraud were committed during the 2007 ARMM polls when he won as governor. Ampatuan alleged that in January 2007 former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo called his father Andal Sr., one of the accused in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, to his Makati office to plan the alleged cheating in the Maguindanao polls. Zaldy alleged that Arroyo instructed the Ampatuan family to ensure that then senatorial bet Benigno Aquino III and fellow Genuine Opposition candidates Alan Peter Cayetano and Panfilo Lacson would receive zero votes in Maguindanao. - LBG/VVP, GMA News