Party-lists Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan and Suara Bangsamoro today said that accumulated votes padded for Malacanang-backed party-lists in some parts of Mindanao have totaled to at least 58,000.
The party-lists reported that 22,011 votes were padded for ALIF (Ang Laban ng Indiginong Filipino) from 15 ERs out of 28 municipalities in Zambo del Sur.
ERs from Margosatubig, Pitogo, Vicencio Sagum, Tabina, San Miguel, Simimot, Tambulig, Midsalip, Aurora, Mahaya, Dinas San Pablo, Josefina, Molave and Dumalinao showed discrepancies in the actual votes acquired and the reported number of votes in the canvassing. Votes for ALIF were padded by as high as 2,000 votes in some towns.
“We were able to evaluate very obvious discrepancies in penmanship and pen ink when we compared the COVs to the SOVs. This is vote-padding in its most blatant form,” said Kabataan President Raymond Palatino.
Task Force Poll Watch (TFPW), the party-lists’ anti-fraud watch dog, had also earlier reported 36,609 combined padded votes for COOP-NATCO and UNI-MAD in Sibugay Zamboanga.
Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza said, “These cases further reinforce our estimation that votes for known Malacanang-backed party-lists may be padded from anywhere between 2 to 2.7 million in the Comelec canvassing.”
Maza and Palatino said that they are expecting other cases to come in from other provinces and cities in Mindanao, especially from ARMM.
The party-lists cited that Tawi-Tawi, for instance, reported an 89% voter turnout for party-lists. “This is highly questionable and phenomenal,” said Palatino. He also questioned YACAP’s (Youth against Corruption and Poverty) top post in the province, beating Moro party-lists with 21,966 votes.
TFPW is also evaluating reports of vote-padding in Sulu, Sulatan Kudarat, North Cotabato, Basilan, Zamboanga City and Lanao del Norte.
Maza called on the National Board of Canvassers to defer the canvassing and correct the said COCs. ###
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May 25, 2007 at 5:24 am
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