The Philippine Online Chronicles

The camp of Koko Pimentel, senatorial candidate during the 2007 national elections, urged Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri to resign after former governor Zaldy Ampatuan and former election supervisor Lintang Bedol’s separate revelations of massive poll cheating in Maguindanao.

“Their separate astonishing statements brought over live by television and radio and carried by print media further confirmed Koko Pimentel’s charges that massive fraud underpinned Zubiri’s proclamation by the Abalos Comelec (Commission on Election),”said former Senator Nene Pimentel.

Pimentel claimed that Zubiri was proclaimed because of “194,000 or so fake votes from the province of Maguindanao.”

He added that, “The inclusion of those fraudulent votes gave Migs Zubiri a false lead over Koko Pimentel of something like 18,000 votes. Koko Pimentel protested. After tediously producing documentary and testimonial evidence, Koko Pimentel as of today posts an insurmountable lead over Migs Zubiri by some 257,000 votes.”

He asserted that Ampatuan and Bedol were directly involved in the cheating that occurred and that their disclosures cannot be ignored. He also said that Zubiri, prior to his proclamation, promised that he would not sit in the Senate if cheating is proven.

“Since it is now plainly incontrovertible that massive cheating in Maguindanao led to his unlawful proclamation as a senator, Migs Zubiri should now comply with his rhetoric and give back the contested senate seat to Koko Pimentel,” the elder Pimentel said.

“Time is of the essence,” he emphasized.

Koko Pimentel III earlier said, “I am happy. We have long been looking for an ‘eyewitness.’ If there was one during the case then, he is not senator now,” referring to Zubiri. He said there is no basis to the votes Zubiri got in Maguindanao.

Also a victim

Meanwhile, Zubiri, at a press conference, said he had nothing to do with any cheating that may have happened.

"I did not cheat in the 2007 elections. I will never cheat in any elections," he said, adding that he did not want to benefit from tainted votes.

He also said that if Pimentel was cheated in Maguindanao, he was also a victim of poll fraud in Metro Manila. He asserted that votes were shaved from the Arroyo allies because it would not be notices, especially since the area is a known opposition stronghold.

On Thursday, Bedol surfaced after many years in hiding to corroborate Ampatuan’s statement.

He said former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered that votes for senatorial candidates Benigno Aquino III, Alan Peter Cayetano and Panfilo Lacson be counted as Zubiri’s.

Hear them out

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is still determined to hear out Ampatuan and Bedol, despite questions to their credibility.

In a radio interview, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said maybe the two really wanted to tell the truth but they are not making any conclusions. They merely want to hear them out.

Arroyo’s legal spokesman and defeated senatorial bet Raul Lambino asserted that everything is hearsay, a “massive well-funded campaign” orchestrated and allowed by a powerful person or group.