P1B paid to ensure victory for presidential bet—lawyer By Charlie V. Manalo 05/26/2010 By Charlie V. M

P1B paid to ensure victory for presidential bet—lawyer

By Charlie V. Manalo

05/26/2010

Appearing before the hearing of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, former Assemblyman Homobono Adaza yesterday bared that a cabal of seven persons, four of whom are regional directors of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and who are in control of at least 14 out the 17 regions in the country, have connived to rig the May 10 polls in favor of an unnamed presidential candidate in exchange for a cool P1 billion.

In his testimony at the resumption of the hearing of the committee headed by Makati Rep. Teddyboy Locsin, Adaza said the group of seven allegedly offered a national candidate to manipulate the election results in his favor for a fee of P1 billion, claiming that the group has control of 14 regions.

Adaza said the group claims it has in its possession CF cards which could be programmed to suit the needs of any candidate.

The former lawmaker said the national candidate allegedly bit the offer.

Quoting his source, Adaza said “one national candidate allegedly accepted the offer. They made the rounds of the national candidates, one of the candidates supposedly bought the deal,” Adaza said.

When the solons asked Adaza who the Comelec officers were, the former lawmaker requested an executive session which the committee granted.

At the resumption of the hearing, Ronald Tan, a defeated vice mayoralty candidate of Tagaytay City, told the committee that three days before the May 10 elections, Comelec officials and employees from two departments approached him and his partymates offering 10 preprogrammed CF cards for P5 million.

Tan said they were told that these cards specified to specific clustered precincts.

“They thought we would give in to their demand. They told us in no uncertain terms that it is easier to cheat in this automated election because it is all automatic. We of course rebuked them telling them that how could that be when all the source codes, all the pin codes are supposed to be secured. And in an almost arrogant laughter, they told us all of these things have already been designed,” Tan told the committee.... MORE   

Source:  The Daily Tribune 

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100526hed1.html

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