Namfrel drops Maguindanao result from quick count

The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) in Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan has dropped Maguindanao from its quick count of the senatorial election results because of what it perceived as a “systematic" withholding of its copy of the election returns from its volunteers. Fr. Eduardo Tanudtanud, Namfrel’s chair for Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan, said only members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) were given copies of the ERs from 22 municipalities in Maguindanao. Namfrel, being the accredited citizens’ arm to conduct a quick count of the election results, is entitled to the sixth copy of the ER from which to base its partial, unofficial tabulation of votes in this year’s mid-term balloting. “Except for members of the BEI, no other persons or organizations, including Namfrel volunteers were allowed access to the centralized counting of votes," he said. “Our volunteers were told that the municipal election officers issued a verbal order to withhold release of all copies of all the ERs, including Namfrel’s," Fr. Tanudtanud said in a report to Namfrel Manila, a copy of which was hand carried by former Namfrel chair Jose Concepcion Jr. to Comelec Commissioner Florentino Tuason Monday afternoon. Fr. Tanudtanud said the local Comelec refused to recognize the appointment of Namfrel municipal chairpersons. “In view of what is perceived as a systematic withholding of the election returns to Namfrel that casts doubts on the sixth copy of the ER, we will still not include the Maguindanao result in the quick count even if these are made available to us in the days ahead," Fr. Tanudtanud said is a report dated May 19. The Comelec said it has formed a task force to look into the alleged fraudulent elections in the province that reportedly delivered a 12-0 sweep to senatorial candidates of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo under Team Unity. Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr told reporters on Monday that an investigating team was set up "to ferret out the truth" in the reported voting and canvassing anomalies in Maguindanao. On Sunday, radio dzBB reported that it was not only in Maguindanao that all TU bets emerged unopposed. The report said that some towns in at least eight other provinces in Visayas and Mindanao also gave all their votes to administration bets. DzBB quoted a statement from Malacañang saying that TU bets have so far emerged unopposed in 34 towns, including 17 towns in Maguindanao, and 17 others in the Visayan provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar and in the Mindanao provinces of Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Sulu and Zambonga Sibugay. The report said administration officials believed that TU bets won in these areas because of “command votes." TU deputy spokesman Tonypet Albano earlier said that the administration is expecting more sweeps that would be enough to push two to four of its candidates into the winning slots. Meanwhile, Genuine Opposition candidates and Namfrel urged the Comelec on Sunday to start investigating election tally results in Maguindanao by opening the ballot boxes. In a text message to GMANews.TV on Sunday, outgoing House minority leader Rep. Francis Escudero, GO senatorial candidate, said he supports Namfrel’s call urging Comelec to send a fact-finding panel to Maguindanao. “The noise on the reported fraud in Maguindanao is so loud. Comelec should not ignore the noise," Escudero said. He said Abalos should not allow a repeat of what he termed as a “Garci-like" operations under his watch. “Sobra na ‘yan kung magkakaroon ng Garci 2 (It would be too much if there would be a repeat of the Garci scandal)," Escudero said. Another GO Senate contender Alan Peter Cayetano, in a separate text message, said Comelec should not wait for Namfrel or any candidate to file a petition on the alleged Maguindanao scandal. “Kung gusto talaga ng Comelec na maging malinis ang halalan, kusa at hindi na nila dapat hintayin ang suggestion ng Namfrel (If the Comelec really wants a clean election, it will act on its own and will no longer need to be prodded by Namfrel)" Cayetano said. - GMANews.TV