The Philippine Online Chronicles

Two witnesses disclosed to senators that bribe money flowed to ensure the victory of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo in the 2004 presidential elections.

During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Tuesday, former judge Casan-Ali Limbona confirmed the claim of former Shari’ah court judge Nagamura Monet that he helped distribute cash to poll officials.

Limbona also admitted that he received cash from Moner after vowing to reverse the election results in Sultan Kudarat, where Arroyo was losing heavily against the late Fernando Poe Jr.

Moner, who earlier testified before the Senate on the same issue, said in today’s probe that Limbona recommended to him Lintang Bedol when he asked Limbona a contact in Sultan Kudarat.

"I told him after that to talk to Lintang Bedol and ask him if he can do something to the provincial canvassing in Sultan Kudarat so that GMA (Arroyo's initials) will be made to win in Sultan Kudarat," Moner said in a GMA News report.

Limbona said that Bedol agreed on the deal that he will be paid P5 per vote lead in the Mindanao province. He said though that Bedol did not bother asking for the promised payment since he was approached by another election operator, a report said.

Moner also affirmed his earlier testimony tagging former airport official Alfonso Cusi as the one who asked him to handle the vote-rigging operations in Mindanao. He also alleged that he was allowed to use the helicopter owned by former first gentleman Mike Arroyo and later sold to the Philippine National Police in conducting the operations.

Meanwhile, ARMM regional director Ray Sumalipao denied taking part in the cheating during the 2004 polls durint the same Senate probe.

“In so far as I’m concerned, I did not cheat your honor,” said Sumalipao in response to Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s as to whether he could “swear whether the poll official could “swear to the Holy Koran that there was no cheating in 2004”.

Sumalipao, who was then provincial election supervisor (PES) of Lanao del Sur, asserted that it is not part of his job to hear election protests before the proclamation of winners.

The poll official was tagged in the so-called “Hello Garci” conversation between then President Arroyo and resigned elections chair Virgilio Garcillano.