Comelec told to purge ranks of execs involved in poll fraud

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) should purge its own ranks of officials who were involved in the alleged poll fraud in 2004 and 2007 while it is probing the matter, Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon said Tuesday. Biazon, who won his senatorial bid in 2004 under the administration ticket of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said the Comelec should punish its own officials linked to the rigging of these polls. "The resolution of who won or who lost in that election is not anymore an issue to us... I think that all of those people who were given the responsibility of supervising the conduct of elections and are part of this fraud should be held accountable," he said at a press conference. He particularly named Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections director and former Lanao del Sur poll supervisor Rey Sumalipao, who Biazon accused of padding votes in the province in favor of Mrs. Arroyo. Biazon even expressed willingness to testify in the Comelec and the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s joint probe on the poll anomalies, saying he is confident the investigation will yield "credible results." "We have high hopes for a credible closure of the issue of this election fraud simply because the two heads of the agencies of government were involved in the conduct of these elections... They have a wealth of evidence that can be made available," he said. The lawmaker was referring to Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima—both election lawyers who once served as counsels for opposition candidates. He added that he is certain the probe will succeed, citing “strong" testimonial and documentary evidence against people involved in the alleged cheating. "The DOJ and the Comelec cannot fail to issue a conclusion that will be credible enough because of the presence of incontrovertible evidence," he said. The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms is also set to conduct its own probe on the alleged rigging of the 2004 and 2007 polls next week. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News