Pasay court issues arrest warrant vs. Abalos lawyer

By Alvin Elchico, ABS-CBN News
A warrant of arrest has been issued against Brigido Dulay, the lawyer of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos.

Dulay was slapped with contempt of court by Pasay City regional trial court Judge Jesus Mupas, following allegations of extortion against the judge.

Last month, Abalos asked Mupas to inhibit from his electoral sabotage case due to extortion allegations.

According to Comelec lawyer Maria Juana Valesa, Abalos alleged that a female lawyer connected to Mupas asked P100 million from the ex-poll chief in exchange for fixing his case in the RTC. Abalos even presented witnesses to prove the extortion claim.

Instead of inhibiting from the case, Mupas ordered Abalos and his lawyer to show cause or they would be cited in contempt.

Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos, Abalos’ son, said his father wants Mupas to inhibit in the case “on the grounds that there is a certain belief on our part that we cannot get impartial justice in his court.”

He said alleged emissaries from Mupas approached them in a hotel. He said they are still asking for CCTV footage from the hotel to prove that the extortion try occurred.

Abalos was arrested earlier this week after being charged with electoral sabotage in the 2007 midterm elections.

The former Comelec chair on Thursday complained of stomach pain. His doctor said Abalos was stressed because of the condition inside his cell in Southern Police District.

Congressman Lagman bares Arroyo-led plot to oust him as opposition leader

ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMA News

In an unexpected turn of events, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman is now accusing his long-time ally, former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of plotting to oust him as opposition leader at the House of Representatives.

In a statement, Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo met with opposition members led by Deputy Minority Leader Danilo Suarez in her hospital suite at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) last Wednesday to discuss the supposed ouster plot.

Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo, who is facing electoral sabotage charges, asked opposition members to withdraw their support for Lagman by “not honoring” a resolution they earlier signed seeking to retain him in his post.

“GMA (Mrs. Arroyo’s initials) and her group are trying to convince the Lagman supporters not to honor their signatures,” Lagman said.

Lagman, who currently chairs the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) party, also said he is “not a GMA stooge” and “does not succumb to her bidding.”

Term-sharing agreement

Lagman and Suarez agreed to share the term as House minority leader two years ago. Suarez is supposed to take over the opposition leadership when sessions resume on Jan. 16.

Lagman, however, said that the term-sharing agreement would have only taken effect if the Arroyo-aligned lawmakers managed to get the House leadership, which was won by incumbent House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

Suarez, for his part, said his agreement with Lagman was “clear” and that “he is not backing out” from the deal.

“This leadership issue has long been resolved… Ewan ko nga kung bakit nagba-back out si Edcel,” he said in a phone interview.

He admitted meeting with Mrs. Arroyo on Wednesday night, but belied Lagman’s claim that they were plotting to oust him. “The former President has nothing to do with this. We had a clear agreement, and he should honor that.”

The minority bloc at the House of Representatives currently has 29 members. – KBK, GMA News

Palace treading fine line between ‘special treatment’ and concern for Arroyo

Malacañang on Saturday admitted it continues to tread a fine line between “special treatment” and “courtesy” for its former occupant Gloria Arroyo, a day after she was transferred to a government hospital.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte echoed Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo who said their situation is “between the devil and the deep blue sea.”

“Iniingatan natin talaga, lalo ang ahensya in-charge, ang DILG at Philippine National Police (PNP), kung ano ang pwede ibigay at di pwede ibigay,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.

She said the “privileges” now extended to Arroyo are partly because of her status as an incumbent congresswoman and former president, but mainly because of her health.

Also, she said Malacañang’s main concern is Arroyo’s security.

Arroyo was transferred to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City Friday from the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City.

The Pasay City court, which is handling an electoral sabotage case against Arroyo, had ordered the transfer.

On the other hand, Valte said moves to have Arroyo placed in a police detention facility once she recovers will be up to the Commission on Elections prosecution panel.

“That will entirely be dependent on what the Comelec prosecution panel wants. Ngayon, nagkakaroon ng consideration because of the condition of her health,” she said.

‘Pattern of untruthfulness’

Valte also advised Arroyo’s spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn to be “consistent” lest she show a “pattern of untruthfulness.”

Bautista-Horn had been criticized for “lying” when she said the Arroyo camp was not informed about a plan to airlift the former president to the VMMC.

She was also criticized for claiming Arroyo had been severely ill, before one of the former president’s doctors testified the former leader was well enough to leave the hospital.

“That’s entirely up to her. It’s to her own detriment if she keeps doing this… They should be consistent,” Valte said when asked if Bautista-Horn should apologize.

“What is emerging is a pattern of untruthfulness. It’s up to the public to judge them for that,” she added. — LBG, GMA News

Comelec chief gets death threats

By Atom Araullo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – Commission on Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. revealed Friday that he has been receiving some death threats because of his efforts to “cleanse” the ranks of Comelec.

He did not identify where the threats were coming from.

Brillantes said that this was one of his advocacies and that he is ready to go after corrupt Comelec members in the next few months.

He said some people in the commission have been turning their job into a business. And while he knew there was a problem with corruption even before he became chairman, he only realized the extent of the scourge when we took office.

“That’s part of job,” Brillantes said, referring to the so-called threats. “Handa na ako diyan even before I came here.”

SANTIAGO DENIES LINKING NCRPO CHIEF IN 2004 ELECTORAL FRAUD

EMBATTLED police Sr. Supt. Rafael Santiago, Jr. on Friday vehemently denied published reports that he incriminated National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Alan Purisima into the alleged electoral fraud during the 2004 presidential elections.

Santiago had a closed-door meeting with Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila De Lima before issuing a statement.

He was relieved as Zambales provincial police office director in July this year.

In a statement, Santiago also denied reports linking Purisima and Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. to illegal mining and illegal numbers game jueteng.

Santiago said that such allegations were merely based on a text message allegedly coming from him.

“I have never sent any text message to anybody on such libelous accounts if it is not supported by evidence. I could have not given relevance to the said news articles since I know very well that it is a part of an organized PR offensive to discredit me, create conflict, and muddle or diver the issue so that the truth behind the election fraud in 2004 will not prevail,” Santiago said.

Santiago said that he was constrained to give his side reaffirming that he never gave such incriminating statements, more so, against Purisima.

Purisima was the Police Regional Office 3 (Central Luzon) director during which time Santiago was the Zambales provincial police office chief.

Santiago stressed that he never mentioned Purisima in his written and signed affidavit he submitted to the DOJ in connection with the allegations of electoral fraud in the 2004 presidential elections.

The DOJ and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have already created a joint fact-finding team mandated to conduct a preliminary investigation into allegations of electoral fraud committed during the 2004 presidential elections and the 2007 senatorial elections.
“We expect that there will be more demolition jobs against us to come, considering the enormous resources at the disposal of those behind it. This we know might even cost our life, not until we are able to take part in the legal process of the inquiry to ferret out the truth, which we are just awaiting,” Santiago said.

The statement was signed by Santiago; Police Officers 2 (PO2s) Rudy Gahar; Norman Duco; Trifon Laxamana, Jr.; Allan Layugan; and Rodel Tabangin. (pna)

SUPT. SANTIAGO APOLOGIZES TO SUSAN ROCES OVER 2004 POLL FRAUD

Superintendent Rafael Santiago on Friday extended his apologies to veteran actress Susan Roces following his revelations about the switching of election returns in 2004.

Roces is the widow of the late action king Fernando Poe Jr. who ran during the 2004 presidential polls but was defeated by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“We would like to extend our apologies to the Filipino nation, especially to Madam Susan Roces, for the error at this point we are trying to rectify,” Santiago said.

Santiago, a senior police officer, along with his five men— PO2 Rudy Gahar, PO2 Alan Layugan, Rodel Tabangin and Trifon Laxamana and P01 Norman Duco—went to Department of Justice (DoJ) to personally transmit the remaining election returns in their possession.

“Ang pagparito po namin ngayon ay upang ibigay ang mga natirang election returns na nasa possession namin sa nakaraang anim na taon. At ito ay upang ipakita na ang aming sinimulan na pakikipag-ugnayan sa ating honorable secretary ng DOJ ay pawang may katotohanan,” he said. “At aming inaasahan kaya kami nagpunta dito sa Department of Justice, by the name of justice alone, we seek to seek justice here by coming out with the truth, by revealing the truth.”

However, Santiago explained that they were not part of the cheating, adding that the only participation of his group was to provide access and security to those who operated.

He said the move was to cover up their trail or in order to jive the tampered COC (Certificate of Canvass) that were made in Mindanao with those authentic election returns that were deposited at the House of Representatives that they found out only later.

“We would like to make some points of clarifications that we were not in any way party to the scheme of cheating during the 2004 elections,” he said.

According to Santiago, PNP Director General and now Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. ordered them to steal the election returns kept in the Batasang Pambansa building in 2005.

“Our revelations had put our lives at risk. Me and my colleagues have received death threats,” Santiago told reporters. “We know we are facing powerful people, but there’ll be no turning back. The truth shall set us free.”

Meanwhile, Santiago failed to submit his affidavit to Justice Secretary Leila De Lima.

Lawyer Vic Rodriguez said they will give the original election returns taken from Batasan Complex to the DoJ secretary.

“Affidavits will be submitted next week. You have to understand, it is difficult for them and for us lawyers to be coming up with their affidavits kasi we keep on moving from place to place because of security concerns. Kaya it’s difficult for them to recollect what happened 5 or 6 years ago,” Rodriguez said.

The lawyer admitted that a chance is thin to get to the Witness Protection Program.

Rodriguez stated the WPP does not allow the admission of members of the police and military.

“Well, tama ‘yon but considering the importance of the case and their statement and its implication to the electoral system, baka ma-consider,” he said.

It will be recalled that when Poe died in December 2004, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal dismissed the election protest filed by his wife Roces for being moot and academic.

EX-SENATE PRESIDENT NENE PIMENTEL ASKS DOJ TO INDICT PERSONS INVOLVED IN ELECTORAL FRAUD

Former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. on Wednesday formally asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute people involved in cases of electoral fraud.

Pimentel personally visited the Office of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima and offered suggestions if ever the DOJ conducts an investigation into cases of electoral fraud.

Likewise, Pimentel also asked the DOJ to strictly prosecute those responsible in the commission of electoral fraud during the past elections.

In an ambush interview, Pimentel said that he has asked the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to proclaim as the 12th winning senator in the 2007 senatorial elections his son, Atty. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Pimentel added that they have filed a motion before the SET seeking the immediate proclamation of Koko Pimentel as senator to replace Senator Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri.

In filing their motion, the former senator wants to monitor the abandonment made by Zubiri on his counter election protest which was also filed before the SET such that the senator ordered his revisors not to attend anymore the ongoing proceedings.

Because of this, the former senator said that Senator Zubiri seems to be reluctant and not interested anymore in his counter-protest.

The former Senate President believes that the SET now has the basis to proclaim Koko Pimentel as the 12th winning senator more so that his son has garnered 257,000 votes more than the votes earned by Senator Zubiri.