Party-list Groups Deplore ‘State-directed Fraud 
and Terrorism’
Protest in 60 provinces, 15 regions set next week

“We can only shake our heads in disbelief that the contest in party list could also be rendered bloody and tainted with massive fraud and irregularities in an unprecedented scale just to keep progressive groups such as ours from getting elected in Congress" – Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo.

By Gerry Albert Corpuz
Bulatlat.com

“We can only shake our heads in disbelief that the contest in party list could also be rendered bloody and tainted with massive fraud and irregularities in an unprecedented scale just to keep progressive groups such as ours from getting elected in Congress," Ocampo stressed.

Expressing outrage and disgust, Anakpawis (nation’s toiling masses) national chair Crispin Beltran said, "The 2004 elections will go down in history as one of the most violent and fraud-ridden polls."

Beltran said the government and the military's wanton disregard for the election laws expose the very reactionary character of the polls. He said Anakpawis legal counsels are studying the possibility of elevating their electoral protests against President Arroyo and top officials of the military to the courts.

Bayan Muna second nominee Teddy Casiño said units of AFP in various areas actively campaigned against Bayan Muna and allied party lists. Instead, the military acted as campaign machinery of Akbayan, which supported the military's anti-NPA drive.

The six groups noted that aside from massive black propaganda launched by the military during the campaign season, at the actual day of voting and up to the post election period, military elements are viciously engaged in killing and harassing officers and officials of the progressive bloc of six party-list groups.

According to them, the military took over the functions of Comelec officials and meddled in the conduct of the electoral exercise in noted bailiwicks of the six party-list groups like Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, Northern Luzon, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas and several regions in Mindanao to implement "dagdag bawas" or vote padding/shaving against the Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and other allied party lists and transferred their votes to pro-military and pro-Gloria Arroyo party lists like Akbayan, APEC and Aksyon Sambayanan of Gonzales.

1,136 not 136

Cases of massive vote shaving of six party lists were massive and widespread all over the country. Bayan Muna and Anakpawis poll watchers uncovered a major irregularity in Malvar town in Batangas province. They said the Municipal Certificate of Canvass (MCC) tallied 1,136 votes for Bayan Muna but this was reduced to 136 votes in the provincial statement of votes. Anakpawis poll watchers on the other hand said, more than 200 votes were stricken off from its total party list votes. In Misamis Occidental, southern Philippines,  the MCC of Canvass registered votes for Bayan Muna, but this was reduced to 70 in the provincial statement of votes.

Votes for Suara Bangsamoro were reduced from thousands to hundreds in favor of pro-administration party-list groups in Mindanao. A reliable source said, the mayors of Buluan and Ampatuan towns ordered local election officers not to count the votes for six party lists. More than 16,000 party list votes were not credited to Suara due to interference and meddling of local officials and the military in said towns of Maguindanao, a bailiwick of the Suara Bangsamoro party list. 

Anak ng Bayan slams Akbayan-Palace-AFP conspiracy

Anak ng Bayan national president and no.1 nominee Apolinario Alvarez assailed the Akbayan-Malacañang-AFP conspiracy to rob the youth party of tens of thousands of votes in the party list elections.

"Akbayan's victory in the party list polls is grossly and graphically tainted with blood and massive cheating," Alvarez told reporters who covered the inter-party list press conference in Bayan Muna headquarters in Quezon City.

The youth leader said ballots containing Anakbayan especially in Mindanao and Metro Manila were credited to Akbayan instead of Anak ng Bayan. During the May 10 elections, Alvarez said Akbayan distributed letters to board of election inspectors asking election officials to account Anakbayan votes to Akbayan.

Copies of the letters were reportedly circulated in General Santos City, a stronghold of Anak ng Bayan but Alvarez did not discount the possibility that the same memorandum signed by Akbayan national council member Benjamin Sumog-oy was distributed nationwide.

The six party lists' legal counsel Neri Colmenares said Akbayan could be charged with false reporting for distributing letters instructing the board of election inspectors to credit Anakbayan to Akbayan. "It is below the belt. It intends to influence the board on election inspectors," he added.

The six party-list groups said their votes were shaved in favor of 11 pro-administration and pro-military parties like Akbayan, Apec, Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy and other party lists, which endorsed the presidential candidacy of President Arroyo.

Order from higher ups

Meanwhile, Jim Fernando, campaign and media liaison officer of the left-leaning peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) told Bulatlat.com that a municipal election officer in Bagong Silang, Cavite relayed to an official of the KMP local chapter in Cavite that higher ups ordered them to shave votes of the six party lists to allow Palace-funded and military-backed party list groups to win in the May 10 polls.

"This could be the reason why there is massive cheating and shaving of votes of the six party lists. We hope we could have him come out and tell the people the orchestrated and systematic plan of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration and the military to deny the six party lists of their hard-earned victories", Fernando said referring to the local election officer who informed KMP chapters of the fraud campaign through "dagdag bawas" scheme against Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and four other party lists.

Joma's warning

Professor Jose Maria Sison, founding chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) warned President Arroyo that her so-called "imminent victory" in the May 10 elections would be met with scores of protests and mass actions coming from national and local politicians and the six party list groups which were denied of victory in the May 10 polls. 

Sison, currently chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) said Mrs. Arroyo is inviting a major political challenge especially from the six political party list groups capable of launching bigger protest actions against any state directed fraud and terrorism.

"They are very much capable of defeating the campaign of fraud and terrorism and Mrs. Arroyo and her military generals should bear that in their minds," the Netherlands-based exiled communist leader said over a radio interview last week.

Sison said based on the strength of the mass base and political influence of the six party lists, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Anak ng Bayan, Migrante and Suara Bangsa Moro are capable of winning 10-12 seats in Congress.

Protests in 60 provinces, 15 regions

Anakpawis chapters in 60 provinces and 15 regions will launch a nationally-coordinated protest against fraud and terrorism next week according to Rafael Mariano, the party's president and second nominee to the party list polls.

”We will go back to the main capital and centers of mass protest to denounce the systematic butchering of our votes,” Mariano said. “The Macapagal0Arroyo ruling clique and their cohorts in the military and police establishments will not get the last laugh."

Mariano said aside from series of mass actions, Anakpawis will deluge Comelec offices across the country with electoral protests and legal cases to show that the party is determined to recover its lost votes and bring to court those who were behind the nationally orchestrated "dagdag bawas" against the six party list groups.

Mariano welcomed observations raised by the electoral watchdog Patriots and the group of foreign observers who were on a mission to monitor the conduct of elections under the International Ecumenical Election Monitoring Mission program. The foreign observers, who are first time witnesses in Philippine elections, said while they were impressed with the high turn out of voters, they were appalled at the growing incidence of fraud and violence. Bulatlat.com

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