Comelec into cover-up on folder scam—ex-employee By Marie A. Surbano 07/07/2010

Comelec into cover-up on folder scam—ex-employee

By Marie A. Surbano 07/07/2010 Commission on Elections officials, evidently, even the Comelec commissioners, are allegedly into a cover-up of the P700-million budget translated into 1.8 million ballot secrecy folder scam, with their refusal to even put under suspension those poll officials mentioned in the poll body’s law department probe findings. This was the charge aired by former Comelec employee Melchor Magdamo, the whistleblower, who has called for the immediate suspension of the people behind the botched P700-million secrecy folder acquisition during the May 10 polls. Magdama said by not suspending the poll officers named in the probe report, there is no one to prevent the pieces of evidence in the case from possible “disappearances.” Magdamo stressed that all those implicated in the controversy remain in position and it has become only too obvious that the Comelec high officials are planning a cover up. He particularly cited Comelec executive director Jose Tolentino who he stated in his affidavit as the poll official who had approved the specifications of the ballot secrecy folder that was given to the winning supplier OTC Paper Supply. “The mere fact that Tolentino (and others) are still there, it is obvious that there would be a cover up. They (their superiors) should have placed under preventive suspension all those involved to prevent them from getting the evidence…,” Magdamo said in Filipino during an interview at UNTV. Magdamo noted that this is not the first time that evidence in cases in the Commission disappears. A highly reliable source in the Comelec, told the Tribune that on top of the list of poll officials involved in the folder scam is Tolentino, who was also under fire during the congressional probe of the automated polls as well as the Congress during the presidential canvassing, for having issued last minute memos and changing rules, thus opening the auto polls open to electoral fraud.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100707hed4.html

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