‘Whiners who cry fraud deserve to lose’ - Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — Losing candidates who cry fraud and claim to have received offers to cheat in the May 10 automated polls “do not deserve to be elected” for not reporting the cases immediately, according to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s former election lawyer.

Romulo Macalintal, who defended Ms Arroyo against fraud allegations in the 2004 elections, Tuesday described as “impossible” stories of fraud attempts now coming out in Congress.

He scolded the complainants for their “sins of omission” for reporting the cases only after they lost.

“You really deserve to lose the elections if that’s what you did. You do not deserve to be elected. You do not have the right to say that you are looking after the welfare of our nation,” Macalintal said.

“Because if you have concern for our country, that would have been what you did—have them arrested,” he said.

Macalintal did not identify the losers, but those crying fraud and alleging offers from poll cheats included Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, Laguna Gov. Teresita Lazaro, Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor and Sulu Rep. Munir Arbison.

Hearsay

Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez Tuesday said not all statements of fraud allegations coming out in the House hearing were substantial.

Golez, who won his reelection bid, said during the hearing that he was concerned that the formal inquiry had been beset with statements of hearsay rather than of personal knowledge.

He cited the statements of lawyer Homobono Adaza that he had talked to a person who told him about a supposed offer to rig the elections for P1 billion.

Golez said he preferred that the stories be told in their entirety and not left hanging. Anybody who says somebody told him something should name the person, he added.

“If a story could not be completed, it should not be started at all,” he said.

‘Impossible’

But Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said it was not hearsay for Adaza to say that he had talked to a person and to ask that that person be summoned to the House hearing.

Macalintal said candidates alleging offers of machine-switching or electronic vote manipulation might well have been victims of scams by syndicates pretending to have the means and connections to cheat in their favor for hefty fees.

“It’s a good thing they did not pay up. If there were some who did, they are stupid. They were just duped,” Macalintal told reporters at a Church-organized forum in Intramuros, Manila.

“I do not believe that there was such switching of PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines or of memory cards. Could you imagine the phenomenon of doing that in every precinct? There could be a pandemonium of sorts. It is impossible that those syndicates could have done that,” he said.

The candidates should have arranged entrapment operations to catch the syndicates, Macalintal said. That would have been “the best opportunity” for them to do good for the nation, he added.

“But what did they do? They go to Congress and when asked who came to them, they’ll say, ‘I don’t know, I already forgot the number.’ My God, this is a very, very important matter and then you lose the number?” he said.

IT experts

Macalintal also decried IT (information technology) experts coming forward with their own theories about how PCOS machines and memory cards could have been cheated.

During the same forum, one such expert, Roberto Verzola of Halalang Marangal, claimed that the discrepancies in transmitted data and election returns spotted last week by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) indicated that there was a “malicious code” in the PCOS machines that automatically shaves or pads votes for certain candidates.

The PPCRV, however, said the discrepancies were too small to cause concern. Results from 29 precincts of more than 43,000 precincts showed differences in transmitted and printed results.

Can’t be proven

“These types of alleged cheating cannot be proven by anyone who calls himself an IT expert. No IT expert could prove the alleged fraud in this election,” Macalintal said, adding that experts had no evidence to back their claims.

Macalintal said that proving fraud could only be done through a manual ballot count, though he saw no basis to conduct one yet as the validation of election results had yet to uncover major discrepancies. (Tarra Quismundo. With a report from Leila Salaverria)


Link:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100526-272068/Whiners-who-cry-fraud-deserve-to-lose

Philippine Coup Fails-Corruption Continues! The Imprudent Observer

Philippine troops and SWAT teams stormed a five-star hotel that dissident military officers had commandeered after walking out of a coup trial. The military officers have insisted their aim is to end the blatant corruption of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s government.

They want her to resign in order to create a government that is both legitimate and honest. Their coup was supported by several political leaders including former Vice President Teofisto Guingona. Arroyo in a defiant response said the coup members would be held “accountable” and there would be swift justice.

The coup members had literally walked out of their trial accompanied by dozens of military sympathizers including General Danio Lim and went to the hotel. They claim Arroyo stole an election and has been manipulating the political process since taking office.

Unfortunately, the Philippines has been the scene of continual fights over the honesty of its government. This has led members of the military to become involved in political affairs.

The nation confronts a Muslim led insurgency in southern regions which has gone on for years. In the midst of this problem is the ongoing belief that President Arroyo is doling out money to politicians and has allowed corruption to become a hallmark of her administration. (Fred Stopsky)

Police, Military Tighten Security In Shariff Kabunsuan Province

COMELEC officers headed by lawyer Jocelyn De Mesa (2nd from left) reads the COC results during the Provincial Canvassing in ARMM Sanggunian Panlalawigan office, at the back are the representatives of the candidates with their Legal Council and watchers. The Provincial Canvassing held inside the Mindanao State University Maguindanao in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Shariff Kabunsuan Province.

The military tighten their security during the Provincial Canvassing because before the canvassing there is a grenade launcher explosion and strafing incident happened near the area. Another Gubernatorial candidate Tocao Mastura's and supporters denounce the canvassing because MSU Maguindanao is Datu Bimbo Sinsuat his political opponent territory.

A family walks in the isle were one of the tanks park near the Sanggunian Panlalawigan Office were the Provincial canvassing is on going. The military tighten their security during the Provincial Canvassing because before the canvassing there is a grenade launcher explosion and strafing incident happened near the area at 2am in the early morning. (Mindanao Examiner Photos/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Philippine authorities tightened security in the southern province of Shariff Kabunsuan due to rising tension between supporters of opposing politicians.

Canvassing of votes in the May 14 national and local polls in the province has been disrupted many times by violence.

An explosion on Wednesday in the province sent policemen and soldiers scampering to secure vital government installations.

Army Col. Mario Mendoza, commander of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, said he deployed troops to help local policemen secure the province, one of five under the Muslim autonomous region, from further violence and to allow the canvassing of the Commission on Elections.

Politicians accused each other of fraud and cheating to win the elections, especially in the gubernatorial race.

Regional police commander, Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, said they have put up road blocks and checkpoints to prevent the entry of illegal weapons that can be used to stir more violence in the province.

“I am really dismayed about the election here in Shariff Kabunsuan because of very obvious and rampant vote-buying during the election.”

“I personally saw ballot boxes brought to the Maguindanao provincial capitol before they bring them to the Mindanao State University where the canvassing is done” one village elder, Datu Kali, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Thousands of people held a rally on Tuesday to protest allegations by the opposition of massive cheating and fraud in the province.

Provincial elections chief, lawyer Jocelyn de Mesa, said they would continue the canvassing despite the tension in Shariff Aguak. (Becky de Asis, Special to the Mindanao Examiner)

2 Ex-Aide Ni "Garci" Nasa PDEA Na!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Nabigyan na ng bagong posisyon ang mga nagsilbing security aide ni dating Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commission Virgilio Garciliano makaraang makaladkad ang mga pangalan sa sinasabing mga akusasyon ng dayaan noong nakalipas na May 2004 elections.

Kinumpirma ng mapagkakatiwalaang source na nakatalaga ngayon sa Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) sina Army Captains Marlon Mendoza at Valentino Lopez.

Diumano'y tinangka ni Lopez na suhulan ang opisyal ng Comelec sa Western Mindanao na si Atty. Helen Aguila-Flores nang halagang P50 milyon upang matiyak ang pagkapanalo ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo at isang kandidatong alkalde sa Zamboanga.

Tumestigo naman si Mendoza sa imbestigasyon ng Senado noong Agosto 2005 na naghayag na nagyabang diumano noon si Garcillano sa isang inuman na nagbigay ng P300 milyong kontribusyon ang isang jueteng lord para sa kampanya ng Pangulong Arroyo.

Si Mendoza ay magugunitang nahaharap sa court martial dahil sa umano'y pamemeke ng P8 milyong halaga ng ID ng Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).
Si Lopez ay sinasabing nakaposisyon ngayon sa complaint reaction unit ng PDEA.

Katwiran ng source, bagamat may kasong kinakaharap ang mga dating aide ni Garcilano, hindi pa naman ito natutuldukan at wala pang parusang ipinapataw.

Dagdag pa ng source, si Lopez ay agaran rin umanong naitalaga makaraang maipuwesto si dating AFP Chief of Staff General Dionisio Santiago sa PDEA.

Hindi naman agad makumpirma ang naturang impormasyon at lahat ng alegasyon ukol sa dalawang opisyal. (Juley Reyes)

Special Polls In Mindanao Marred With Fraud, Cheating And Violence

Special Election in Lanao del Sur province in southern Philippines on Saturday, 26 May 2007. The congressional and local elections, covering 13 towns in the Muslim-majority province are held under heavy security to avert possible violence after authorities suspended the 14 May national mid-term polls due to threats of violence from armed gangs and political warlords.

(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

LANAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 26 May) – Armed clashes and violence marred Saturday’s special elections in the Muslim autonomous province of Lanao del Sur in southern Philippines, officials said.

Three government soldiers guarding the polls were killed and three others, including two civilians, were injured in separate attacks in the province.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) held special polls in 13 towns in Lanao del Sur where massive fraud and cheating had been reported by an independent elections watchdog, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

Tension was high before and after elections in the province where gunmen randomly attacked polling places with grenades and rifle fires.

There were no reports of arrests, but authorities blamed armed supporters of politicians as behind the attacks.

Fighting between policemen and armed gangs erupted in the towns of Kapay, Butig and Pualas and that an undetermined number of election inspectors were reported missing.

It was unknown whether they had been abducted or hiding for fear they would be coerced into siding with politicians.

Many villagers said they failed to cast their votes because of the presence of gunmen, who were followers of opposing politicians.

The military said unidentified gunmen attacked the municipal hall of Masiu.

“They fired two rounds of mortar rockets. There were no reports of casualties,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Other reports said there were attempts by armed men to seized ballot boxes in Lanao del Sur. Poll watchers of opposing politicians also engaged in street brawls.

But COMELEC Commissioner Rene Sarmiento insisted the polls were peaceful. “It is generally peaceful,” he said.

But the police said it recorded more than a dozen rocket and grenade attacks in Lanao del Sur during special elections.

On Friday, one soldier was also killed and two civilians had been wounded in separate gun attacks in the towns of Tugaya and Pualas towns.

The head of the PPCRV, Tita de Villa, who was monitoring the polls in Lanao del Sur, said she was a witness to massive cheating and fraud in the province.

She claimed she saw one election inspector hid official ballots inside her bag and that in other polling areas there were two sets of voters’ lists.

“You can’t really vote freely because everybody is at your neck. The climate is impossible for people to vote freely and orderly. From what we see, I think there will be failure of elections again,” De Villa said.

Police forces also guarded the towns of Butig and Pualas and other areas where Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels are actively operating. Authorities fear the rebels may side with politicians allied with the MILF.

But the MILF said security forces should keep a close watch on private armies and goons of politicians who were behind attempts to sabotage the elections. The MILF said it does not take part in any Filipino elections.

“The MILF has a strict policy about Philippine elections. We do not take part in any elections or in partisan politics and our members have strict orders to stay inside their camps,” rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu told the Mindanao Examiner in a separate interview.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, since 2001. (With reports from Mark Navales, Becky de Asis, Merlyn Manos and Juan Magtanggol)

Arroyo Sets Aside P20-M For Nurses Exam

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Mar) - President Gloria Arroyo allocated P20-million for a special voluntary nurses examination following a ruling by the U.S. Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) on the controversial nursing license examination last year, government media said.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Arroyo signed Executive Order No. 609 directing the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to administer the special voluntary examination to nurses who passed last year’s tainted Board of Nursing (BON) examination.

Authorities said some nursing review centers leaked answers to the examinations in exchange for money.

Arroyo’s directive stemmed from the decision of the CGFNS decision that Philippine nurses licensed pursuant to the BON test of June 2006 shall not be eligible for the grant of Visa Screen certificates.

Nurses can take the special examination either in June or December.

"The examination shall be for the equivalent of Tests III and V of the June 2006 BON examination. The results of these tests shall not affect the validity of the licenses previously issued to the voluntary examinees," the Philippine News Agency quoted Ermita as saying.

Ermita said the nursing examination process will still follow the rules and procedures as provided by the Professional Regulation Commission. DOLE will monitor all stages of voluntary examination processes and examination fees will be waived.

The E.O. 609 provides that after correction of the special voluntary nursing test, the BON shall report the results only to the DOLE secretary, unlike the previous policy where the nursing board exam result is reported to the PRC. Public announcement of those who passed the tests will be undertaken both by the DOLE and the BON chair.

The Labor department has been authorized to designate special nursing review centers duly recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The CGFNS noted that a retake of and passing the equivalent of Tests III and V of the June 2006 BON examination shall remedy the eligibility problem of the June 2006 BON passers. (Mindanao Examiner)

Party List Group Assails Gov't For Failing To Help Pinoy Nurses

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Feb) - The party list Kilusang Mayo Uno assailed Wednesday the government’s failure to address the growing problems facing the Filipino nurses.

The U.S. Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) banned Filipino nurses who took the June 2006 licensure examination tainted with cheating and scandals that nearly damaged the integrity of nursing schools and review centers in the Philippines.

Government officials said they will appeal the decision of the CGFNS and a group of Filipino lawmakers are also going to the United States to meet with officials of the agency. Some nursing review centers were involved in the cheating, authorities said.

"The handling of the government on the nursing leakage mess remains to be absolving the criminals who orchestrated the leakage while putting extra burden on our already stressed-out nurses. We are yet to see people made accountable for their role in the test leakage,” said Elmer Labog, national chairman of the KMU’s Labor Center here.

The KMU fears that other countries may also ban Filipino nurses because of the CGFNS decision.

Labog said: “Unless justice is served and the culprits made to pay for their actions, the possibility of other countries banning our nurses is very possible. Other countries will always notice a shadow of doubt hovering over the nurses who took the June 2006 licensure examination and this will place unjust burden on them.” (Mindanao Examiner)

So, Who Else Is Plagiarizing Our News?

PIA (Philippine Information Agency Zamboanga City) Press Release 2006/12/04

Alleged terror leader captured in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY (4 December) -- Government security forces have captured an alleged leader of the radical Rajah Solaiman Movement linked to the terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Jema’ah Islamiyah in Basilan, a Marine spokesman said Saturday.

Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan said authorities launched an operation to track down other members of the radical group blamed for the spate of bombings in the Philippines after the capture of Feliciano de los Reyes in Lamitan town late Thursday.

"Delos Reyes was seized by soldiers and he is being interrogated in Zamboanga City ," Caculitan said.

He said de los Reyes was wanted by authorities after jumping bail from charges of illegal possession of explosives in Pangasinan in 2002.

Authorities in Zamboanga City arrested last year the alleged chieftain of the Rajah Solaiman, Ahmed Santos, and several of his followers.

Caculitan did not give details of the arrest. It was unknown if the Rajah Solaiman Movement was planning an attack, but the group was said to have targeted in the past places frequented by Western tourists, including Malate in Manila.

He said de los Reyes, also known as Ustadz Abubakar, would be flown to Manila for further investigation. Delos Reyes' arrest came ahead of the visit next week of top US military officials in Jolo Island.

American forces are helping Filipino troops capture leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and two JI bombers, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both wanted by Jakarta for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 200 mostly Western tourists.

The military said some commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front sheltered the Rajah Solaiman militants in Mindanao, but this was denied by the rebel group, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

The Rajah Solaiman Movement was also blamed for the car bombing of the airport in Awang town in Maguindanao province in 2003 that left one person dead. (PIA)

OUR STORY!

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 02 Dec) - Government soldiers captured an alleged leader of the radical Rajah Solaiman Movement linked to the terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, a marine spokesman said.

Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan said there is an ongoing operation to track down other members of the radical group, blamed for the spate of bombings in the Philippines, after troops captured Feliciano delos Reyes in Lamitan town late Thursday.

“Delos Reyes was seized by soldiers and he is being interrogated in Zamboanga City,” Caculitan told the Mindanao Examiner by phone in Zamboanga City.

He said Delos Reyes was wanted by authorities after jumping bail from charges of illegal possession of explosives in Pangasinan province, north of Manila, in 2002.

Authorities in Zamboanga City had arrested last year the alleged chieftain of the Rajah Solaiman, Ahmed Santos, and several of his followers. Caculitan did not give details of the arrest.

It was unknown if the Rajah Solaiman Movement was planning an attack, but the group was said to have targeted in the past areas frequented by Western tourists, including the red light district of Malate in the Philippine capital.

He said Delos Reyes, also known as Ustadz Abubakar, would be flown to Manila for further investigation.

Delos Reyes’ arrest came ahead of the visit next week of top U.S. military officials in Jolo island, where American forces are helping Filipino troops capture leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and two Jemaah Islamiya bombers, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both wanted by Jakarta for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 200 mostly Western tourists.

Local military officials did not give any statement about the arrest. According to a report last year by the International Crisis Group, The Rajah Solaiman is the radical fringe of the Balik-Islam movement, literally “return to Islam.”

Members of the Rajah Solaiman Movement call themselves “reverts,” not converts mainly for two reasons. First, they maintain that all humans are born free of sin into Islam, but, misled by parents or guardians, maybe brought up in other traditions. Secondly, they argue that Islam was the country’s original religion, whose spread was forcibly reversed by Spanish colonial intervention.

The arrested ringleader of the group, Santos, converted to Islam in 1993 and married into the top ranks of the of the Abu Sayyaf group before the Rajah Solaiman was formally established in 2002.

The Philippine military said some commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front sheltered the Rajah Solaiman militants in Mindanao, but this was denied by the rebel group, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

The Rajah Solaiman was also blamed for the car bombing of the airport in Awang town in Maguindanao province in 2003, that left one person dead. (Mindanao Examiner)