Koko Pimentel to file raps vs Arroyo if Zaldy, Bedol claims proven

Lawyer Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Friday said he was willing to press charges against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo if recent "whistleblowers" would eventually implicate her in alleged poll fraud in past elections. At a press conference in Quezon City, Pimentel said he would not hesitate to take legal actions against Arroyo concerning claims made by suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Rizaldy "Zaldy" Ampatuan and former Maguindanao poll supervisor Lintang Bedol that the 2004 and 2007 elections were rigged in favor of the former president. "Handang-handa ako na kasuhan siya [Arroyo] lalo na kapag papangalanan siya ni Zaldy. Ako mismo ang magfa-file," said Pimentel, who might take the senatorial post vacated by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. Zubiri resigned last Wednesday amid fresh allegations he was among the beneficiaries of supposed poll fraud in Mindanao in the 2007 mid-term elections. "The government should seriously study the statements of Zaldy and Bedol," Pimentel said, adding that the suspended governor's claims should not be dismissed simply because he and some of his kin are prime suspects in the Maguindano massacre in 2009. Pimentel said Ampatuan and Bedol's statements might bring "strong and useful clues" that could help prove that the 2004 and 2007 elections were plagued with irregularities. The lawyer said Zubiri's resignation in itself was an indication that Zaldy's statements could have basis after all. [See related story: Zubiri resignation proves Zaldy's credibility] "If Zubiri acted this way, then he must have seen, heard or felt substance from what [Zaldy] is saying," Pimentel said. Word of caution Pimentel, however, said Zaldy's exposé on supposed poll fraud in Mindanao should not in any way affect the status of the multiple-murder case he and 195 other suspects are facing before a Quezon City court. Apart from Zaldy, his brother Andal Ampatuan Jr and Sajid Ampatuan, and their father and clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr, as well the more than a hundred local policemen and militiamen in Maguindanao have been charged for the murder of 57 people, 32 of them journalists, in Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town in 2009. The attack on the victims – most of them belonged to an electoral convoy on its way to file the certificate of candidacy of an Ampatuan rival in the gubernatorial elections – is considered the worst pol-related violence in the Philippines and the worst assault against journalists anywhere in the world. "In the alleged electoral fraud, there might be powerful officials who could have ordered him [Zaldy] to do [the cheating], so he is not the most guilty," Pimentel said, when asked if Zaldy should be allowed to enter into a deal with the government in exchange for his statements regarding poll fraud. "But that [agreement] should only cover poll fraud and not extend to the massacre case," Pimentel stressed. Earlier last month, Ampatuan – in an interview with several media outlets including GMA News inside his detention cell in Taguig City – claimed he has knowledge about the Maguindanao massacre and past poll irregularities in the ARMM. "Kahit sinong matamaan, basta pawang katotohanan lamang, handa ako," Ampatuan said in an interview with GMA News reporter Joseph Morong. Families of the massacre victims voiced opposition to Ampatuan's actions, accusing him of possibly striking a deal with the Aquino administration to absolve him from criminal charges in exchange for his knowledge on the massacre and poll irregularities. Both Ampatuan's camp and the Palace have denied entering into any deal about the matter. — LBG, GMA News