A police officer who admitted taking part in the alleged operation to cover up for the widespread cheating in the 2004 presidential elections apologized on Friday to actress Susan Roces, widow of Fernando Poe Jr. Poe had claimed that he was cheated of victory by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. At a news briefing at the Department of Justice on Friday, Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago also apologized to Filipinos after acknowledging that he committed an error by being involved in the operation, where original election returns (ERs) were allegedly replaced with fake ones to hide the widespread cheating in Mindanao to ensure Mrs. Arroyo's victory in the 2004 polls. "We'd like to extend our apology to the Filipino nation, especially to Madame Susan Roces for the error. And at this point we are trying to rectify. We know that our lives are at risk here, our families. We know we are facing powerful people but there will be no turning back. The truth shall set us free," said The press briefing was held after Santiago and his five other companions had a closed-door meeting with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. In the meeting, the policemen turned over to the DOJ 34 election returns (ERs) in their possession. Santiago's group had earlier turned over four ERs to De Lima. In sum, Santiago's team had 38 ERs in their possession since the operation was conducted in Jan. 2005. Santiago and his companions, namely, Police Officer 2 Alan Layugan, PO2 Trifon Laxamana, PO1 Norman Duco, and PO2 Rodel Tabangin, and PO2 Rudy Gahar were accompanied by their legal counsels led by lawyer Victor Rodriguez. Santiago said he decided to come forward because he has been assured that something can be done to correct an alleged wrongdoing. "Ngayon lang namin mararamdaman na mabibigyan ng parehas na laban, lalo na na naidulog namin sa DOJ ang aming problema na ito," he said.
The police colonel, now assigned to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, said that he and his companions have been receiving death threats even before they decided to bare his participation in the so-called special operation "Maski po noong hindi pa po ako lumalantad, marami nang death threats sa akin. Even in your mind it's already death threats. Even while you're sleeping, you have death threats," said Santiago. He then requested those who have knowledge of the alleged 2004 poll fraud to come out. "Kami po ay nandito ngayon, nanawagan ako sa mga participant noon [na] if every they have participation, to be gentleman enough to accept their participation," said Santiago. Addressing the possible threats against Santiago and his men, De Lima said that the DOJ will provide the group with security. "I've been offering protection, security to them becuase I know how sensitive, delicate and dangerous their situation is now. So the offer to secure them is there. We will evalute the sworn statements once these are submitted to us. The scenario of them turning state witness is there and that is something that is very strong because they can share with us what happened," said De Lima.
'Special operation' Santiago and his group said they were part of the 15 police Special Action Force (SAF) men that carried out the January 2005 "special operation" to steal original election returns (ERs) and have them replaced with fake ones so that Mrs. Arroyo will still emerge as the winner should there be a recount of votes cast in the 2004 elections. Santiago has claimed he and his team broke into the Batasan Pambansa building four times to conduct the operation. The ballot boxes containing the original ERs were stored at the House of Representatives office at that time. The stolen 6,000 ERs reflected votes from Mindanao and were the subject of an election protest filed by Poe, Mrs. Arroyo's closest rival in the May 2004 polls. But Poe died in December that year, prompting his wife, Susan Roces, to pursue the protest on his behalf. Mrs. Arroyo's camp supposedly wanted the original documents replaced by fake ones so that if a recount is conducted, Mrs. Arroyo will still have a 1.1 million lead over Poe. In Friday's press briefing, Santiago said that he did not initially know the nature of the operation. It was only during the third break-in that he discovered it consisted of a cover-up for alleged irregularities in the 2004 poll results. "We would just like to make a point of clarification that we were not in any way a party to the scheme of cheating during the 2004 elections. We were just made to provide access and security to those who operated in order to cover up for their trail, or in order to jibe the tampered COCs [certificate of candidacies] that were made in Lanao with those with the authentic election returns deposited at the House of Representatives that we found out only later," said Santiago. The 34 ERs that his group turned over to De Lima came from the following areas: Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental, Magsaysay town in Lanao del Norte, Balindong town in Lanao del Sur, Mapun town in Tawi-Tawi, and Isabela City in Basilan.
Marching orders Santiago claimed that he and his team were acting on the orders of former PNP chief and now Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and then SAF director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco. Santiago also implicated Chief Insp. Ferdinand Ortega, who headed the SAF unit that augmented the security at the Batasan complex. The police colonel likewise said he saw the fake ERs being produced in Cainta, Rizal, at the house of poll lawyer Roque Bello, who was reputed to be an operator for election cheating. Last Thursday, De Lima quoted Santiago as telling her that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was the one who financed the operation. She, however, said she is not sure if Santiago had personal knowledge of the matter. In Friday's press briefing, Santiago confirmed that "a certain personality" told him that Mr. Arroyo funded the operation. He clarified that he has no personal knowledge of the matter and that the alleged funding could be looked into by the DOJ when it conducts its inquiry in the alleged poll fraud. "I don't have any knoweldge, but we hear that from a certain person who later may be, through the efforts of the DOJ, established. But as far as my personal knowledge is concerned, I don't know anything about that," he said. When the alleged switching was carried out, Santiago was the head of the SAF's Intelligence Division at the Philippine National Police's National Capital Region Command. He was later moved to Zambales, where he served as police provincial director. Earlier this month, Santiago was relieved as Zambales police director and was transferred to the PNP's Directorate for Operations in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
— RSJ, GMA News 
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