Ferrer in shouting match with poll whistleblowers By Marie A. Surbano 05/26/2010

Ferrer in shouting match with poll whistleblowers By Marie A. Surbano 05/26/2010 Shouting, pointing a finger at his accusers and threatening to file a case of libel against a poll wachdog and former lawyer in Commission on Elections Chairman Jose Melo’s office, both whistleblowers on the anomalies found in the Comelec’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) were resorted to by poll Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer yester-day during a hearing where the two were invited to shed light on the anomalies. A shouting match between the Comelec official and two individuals highlighted the supposed meeting intended to be a discussion on the contro-versial and overpriced ballot secrecy folder awarding. The Parish Pastoral Council for R esponsible Voting (PPCRV) representative to the Comelec’s BAC, Dr. Arwin Serrano, complained that Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer has repeatedly shouted and pointed a finger at him. “He (Ferrer) always talks in a loud voice and points his finger at your face. The way I see it, if his finger were a gun, we would already be riddled with bullets,” he said. Serrano and lawyer Melchor Magdamo, formerly working as a lawyer in the office of Melo, were invited by the Comelec en banc to shed light on the allegedly anomalous contracts entered into by the poll body. He noted that he did not expect that (shouting match) to happen to the both of them since it came from a man occupying “an honorarable position”. The Comelec earlier recalled the awarding of the folder procurement contract to OTC Paper Supply after the discovery of the company’s exorbitant price, wherein each of the 1.8 million ballot secrecy folders cost P380. For his part, Ferrer admitted that he really pointed his finger at Serrano for peddling lies in the face of the commission. “He probably thinks we are stupid. I said ‘you are a liar’… my blood boiled because it was very clear that he was telling a lie. He was trying to put one over us,” he said. Magdamo said they will be writing an affidavit regarding what had transpired in the en banc meeting “for the record” since the recorders in the meeting were turned off when temperatures began rising. ... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100526hed3.html

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