Whistleblower: Teachers, kids used in 12-0 Maguindanao ‘machinery’

Teachers filled in the blanks, and pupils put in their thumb marks to “manufacture" the 12-0 sweep of the senatorial race by administration Team Unity candidates in Maguindanao. A female teacher approached DZRH radio Saturday afternoon to spill the beans on the alleged fraud, which she said was conducted on the eve of the May 14 elections. “Binigyan nila kami, yan ang kopyahin namin kung ano ang isusulat namin na gubernador natin, si Singson No. 1, si Pichay No. 2, plus iba pa po (We were given ballots to fill up. We were told to copy names aside from the governor. On the blanks for senatorial bets we were told to write Singson at No. 1, Pichay at No. 2, and so on)," the teacher who used the pseudonym “Bai" told DZRH radio. When asked if the forms they were made to fill up were ballots, she said, “opo (yes)." She said she and at least two other colleagues were brought to a safe house, supposedly belonging to her “superior." She did not elaborate. “Karamihan doon bawa't isang balota tatlo kaming mga teacher, tatlo lang pirma namin pero karamihan hindi napirma (There were only three of us to fill up so many ballots. We signed some of them but most of the ballots were unsigned)," she said. On the other hand, she said some pupils were rounded up and made to print their thumb marks on the ballots. “Maraming mga bata doon na elementary yan ang ginagamit namin, sa mga bata naglagay ng thumb mark (There were many elementary students rounded up and they printed their thumb marks on the ballots)," she said. The DZRH report declined to give the teacher’s real name and area of assignment for protection purposes. On the other hand, Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the claims would have to be validated first before the poll body declares a failure of elections there. “Dapat magkaroon ng notice and hearing. Minsan hindi naman totoo (There should be appropriate notice and hearing. Sometimes the charges turn out to be baseless)," he said. “She deserves to be given the appropriate protection, let the truth come out in this case," he added. - GMANews.TV