Mindanao cheating strengthens poll protest vs Zubiri
July 14, 2011
MASSACRE suspect Zaldy Ampatuan’s disclosure on cheating in Maguindanao province in the 2007 elections strengthens an electoral protest against a sitting senator, said lawyer Aquilino Pimentel III, who filed the protest.
Pimentel, son of former senator Aquilino Jr., was edged out of 12th place in the 2007 elections by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri. His victory is believed to have been secured by votes from Mindanao.
Ampatuan said then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo talked to his father, Andal Sr., in early 2007 to secure votes for administration candidates. He said the votes of candidates Benigno Aquino III, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Panfilo Lacson were allegedly shaved and credited to Zubiri.
Together with father Andal Sr. and brother Andal Jr., Ampatuan was later charged as one of the suspects in the gruesome Maguindanao massacre, which resulted in the death of 57 people, including media workers. He later identified the two as among the massacre’s masterminds.
“With Ampatuan’s revelation, all the more should the Senate Electoral Tribunal now act expeditiously and decide on my pending electoral protest against Zubiri in my favor,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel, president of the PDP-Laban party, said Zubiri “knows deep in his heart that he sits in the Senate on the basis of a fake mandate from the electorate.”
In a text message to reporters Tuesday, Zubiri denied involvement in any cheating.
“If anyone moved (to cheat), I know nothing about that and the syndicate that did this should be punished,” he said, adding he was also the victim of cheating in Metro Manila.
In Malacanang, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Ampatuan’s testimony should be thoroughly verified and studied to determine if it could “contribute to the search for truth and justice” on the alleged poll fraud in the region in 2007 and the massacre that took place in 2009.
“Former governor Zaldy Ampatuan’s current revelations need to be verified and assessed carefully vis-à-vis other relevant facts that have been previously established,” Coloma said.
“In this way, it may be ascertained if what he has disclosed would contribute significantly to the search for truth and justice in the Maguindanao massacre trial and in the investigation of electoral fraud,” he added.
Ampatuan accused Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel, as the mastermind of the election rigging. He said his father Andal Ampatuan Sr. served as an “errand boy”.
He also claimed that Arroyo wanted to “zero votes” in Maguindanao for then senatorial bets Benigno Aquino III, Panfilo Lacson and Alan Peter Cayetano.
Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and Senator Zubiri both denied the allegations of Ampatuan.
Zaldy, who claimed having a strained relationship with other Ampatuan clan members, offered to testify against his relatives for as long as he will be given protection by the government.
The Department of Justice, however, rejected his offer, saying he lacks qualification to become a witness.
Prosecution lawyers, the families of the massacre victims, and media organizations also turned down the Ampatuan scion’s proposal, stressing that it was his ploy to evade conviction and the family’s strategy to save their assets.
Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife and two sisters were killed in the massacre, also rejected Zaldy’s plan of testifying, saying it was just a “gimmick” to escape liability in the mass murder.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said President Aquino will be meeting with families of Maguindanao massacre victims at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Lacierda scored prosecution lawyer Harry Roque for criticizing some Cabinet officials for allegedly intervening in the case.
“He has polluted sources…He has to apologized to me, to Ricky Carandang…He should study first before issuing such statements against us,” the Palace official said.
He reiterated that there is no done deal yet with the Ampatuan scion and the government just provided the protection he requested.
President Aquino remains loyal to the families of the victims and he has not changed hearts by being open to what Zaldy might offer, Lacierda said.
“We are just assessing the information provided for. He (Zaldy) has revealed certain information and we have to be prudent in studying it,” he said.
He also assured that alleged poll fraud will not overshadow the Maguindanao massacre case.
“The President said many times he wants to know why the massacre happened and how we can prevent it…We are committed to the families of the victims,” Lacierda said. (Jonathan de Santos/Jill Beltran/Sunnex)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/07/13/mindanao-cheating-strengthens-poll-protest-vs-zubiri-166698
Best Restaurant in Clark Pampanga unveils regional dinner menu featuring the classic cuisine of Italy, all designed to pair nicely with fine vintage wines from Italy’s wine regions such as Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto and Sicily, one more reasons for food and wine lovers to travel to Angeles City, Clark Philippines to satisfy their thirst for a wonderful meal at a fine dining restaurant, the best place to eat in Pampanga.
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