Comelec chief Brillantes defends credibility of Unas

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday defended the credibility of former Maguindanao provincial administrator Norie Unas, who tagged former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the alleged cheating during the 2007 polls. "(We) interviewed him several times before. He's really very credible," Brillantes said during the hearing of the Commission on Appointments (CA) on his appointment at the Senate. He issued the statement after Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, who was presiding over the CA hearing, asked him about the credibility of Unas. "He has direct knowledge of the Maguindanao massacre. Doesn't that make him dubious?" Estrada asked. On Monday, Unas claimed that Mrs. Arroyo ordered then-Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. to ensure the victory of administration senatorial bets in the province in the 2007 elections. The Arroyo camp has repeatedly denied the allegations. Unas served with the Ampatuans from 2001 to 2009. He also served as Andal Sr.'s close adviser and spokesman. Andal Sr. and his three sons, Andal Jr., Zaldy, and Akhmad, are implicated in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre of 57 people in the province. A witness in the crime, Lakmudin Saliao, has told the Quezon City court hearing the massacre case that Unas was present at Andal Sr.'s mansion when the clan plotted the mass killings. Credible? However, Brillantes said the relationship of Unas with the Ampatuan clan is the key to the veracity of his testimony. "His closeness to the Ampatuans makes him credible," he said. "Ampatuan Sr. was not really that literate... he was always accompanied by Norie Unas," he added. He also said Unas has been identified by suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and former Maguindanao provincial elections supervisor Lintang Bedol in their statements as the person who always accompanied Andal Sr. "He's (Unas) a very very intellectual guy," he said. Ready to face accusations On Tuesday, lawyer Raul Lambino said Mrs. Arroyo and her husband, former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, are prepared to face the accusations hurled by Unas. "Haharapin nila yan. Madaling magsampa ng kaso, kahit sino pwede sampahan ng anumang kaso. Kahit na sino pwede ring lumabas bilang testigo at mag-imbento ng mga kwento," Lambino said in a radio interview. The CA hearing was ongoing as of posting time. — RSJ, GMA News