MANILA — Caloocan BOC chair face life imprisonment over Kasangga vote-padding
Partylist groups Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan and Suara
Bangsamoro will file charges tomorrow against the chair of the Board
of Canvassers in Caloocan City in connection with alleged tampering of
votes in the city.
To symbolize the partylist groups’ protest, their pollwatchers in
Caloocan City and elsewhere will start wearing black armbands.
Kabataan pollwatcher Daniel Cleofas Jr. said he and other pollwatchers
witnessed the tampering of votes in at least eleven precincts in favor
of partylist group Kasangga, one of the organizations tagged as
Malacaang fronts and whose nominees include Malou Arroyo, a sister of
First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.
According to Cleofas, the vote padding was discovered last night in
the following:
* In precincts 222-3A and 222-34A, Kasangga votes were increased from
one to 81 and 91, respectively.
* In precincts 222-6A and 222-36A, Kasangga votes were raised from two
to 42 and 62 respectively.
* In precinct 222-3A, the votes for Kasangga were increased from three to 53.
* In precinct 222-5A, the votes for Kasangga were increased from eight to 98.
* In precincts 222-7A, 223-7A, 223-8A, 223-0A and 222-4A, Kasangga got
zero, but the BOC padded votes to 50, 72, 98, 70 and 50, respectively.
Atty. Neri Javier Colmenares, Bayan Muna general counsel, said that
BOC chair Atty. Juliet Villar is liable for violation of Comelec
Resolution 7859, specifically the provision against “electoral
sabotage”.
Electoral sabotage is defined as the tampering and changing of votes”
and is punishable with life imprisonment.
House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Representative Satur
Ocampo, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano and Kabataan President Raymond
Palatino will go to the Caloocan City canvassing center today to join
their pollwatchers.
Mariano said that “Malacaang operators have apparently ordered its
dirty tricks operators to work overtime to cheat in the canvassing
stage.
Mariano added that vote-padding in the partylist polls will work
against all partylist aspirants because it unduly increases the total
partylist votes and consequently the minimum number of votes matching
the two-percent requirement for any aspirant to win one seat in the
House of Representatives.
“This cheating by and for Kasangga cheats the Caloocan people of their
choices, works against all partylists, and denies small parties a fair
chance of obtaining seats in Congress,” said Mariano.
Kabataan’s Palatino said that Task Force Poll Watch has documented
scores of incidents of fraud and violence since Election Day. ###
