Protests Hound Poll Results in Negros
“In Negros, fraud money flowed like raging waterfalls…”

Several annulment cases against proclaimed winning candidates have been filed in the cities of Bacolod, Silay and Talisay in the north; in Pulupandan, La Castellana, Isabela, Kabankalan City in south Negros; and Dumaguete City, Bais City and San Jose in Negros Oriental.

By Karl G. Ombion
Bulatlat.com

BACOLOD CITY – As in many provinces in the country, local candidates who have been proclaimed winners in the just-concluded elections may not be able to occupy their seats if charges of fraud, cheating and other irregularities are given credence by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Several annulment cases against proclaimed winning candidates have been filed in the cities of Bacolod, Silay and Talisay in the north; in Pulupandan, La Castellana, Isabela, Kabankalan City in south Negros; and Dumaguete City, Bais City and San Jose in Negros Oriental.

In Silay and La Castellana, thousands of protesters continue to hold picket-rallies in front of the town halls in protest against what they called massive fraud committed by the incumbent Mayor Enrique Elumba against opponent Tranquilino Chuanico.

In Bacolod, losing incumbent Mayor Luzviminda Valdez charged that she was a victim of systematic “dagdag-bawas” (point padding/shaving) operations by her opponents and their political patrons, mostly identified with the administration party Lakas-CMD. She also accused some teachers who were members of the Board of Election Inspectors for being part of a fraud conspiracy perpetrated by her opponents.

‘One of the worst’

Comelec and some administration bets described the election in Negros as one of the most peaceful in the country.  But leaders of church and militant groups belied the claim calling the polls “one of the worst.”

Epi Gelle, secretary-general of Bayan (New Patriotic Alliance) in Negros said that almost all districts including Bacolod and Dumaguete, have filed poll fraud complaints, ranging from disenfranchising of voters, tampering of election returns, counting of illegal ballots, hiring of flying voters, switching of ballot boxes in broad daylight, vote-buying and military terrorism against opposition bets, progressive party-list groups and their sympathizers.

What is deplorable, Gelle said, is that these frauds were committed apparently by many administration candidates allegedly in connivance with the Comelec, the media agencies, and other government-controlled poll institutions.

Dr. Carmen Benares, head of National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) here admitted they had difficulties in counting the canvass results because some were already tampered when received by their office.

Systematic fraud

Reports reaching Bulatlat.com here pointed to administration officials as being behind the systematic campaign to disenfranchise the supporters of the opposition and ensure the defeat of presidential candidate actor Fernando Poe, Jr. and local opposition aspirants in Negros.

Fraud was reportedly widespread in the third, fourth and fifth districts and Bacolod. In these areas, all the administration-backed bets virtually swept the polls and made the opposition a laughing stock, noted political observers.

In the fifth district, opposition sources and militant organizations reported that the Comelec, some media institutions and personalities, military, members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and police personnel were used by the administration in ensuring the victory of the presidential brother-in-law Ignacio Arroyo and the Lakas-K4 bets.

An officer of 5th district-based NGO who requested not to be named, opined that the main factor for the landslide victory of Arroyo was his use of millions of pesos in buying mayors, councilors, barangay (village) captains and kagawad (council members), and leaders of different civic and church organizations.

“Money flowed liked raging waterfalls, sweeping everyone it passes through. Arroyo bought votes as if there were no tomorrow,” the source said. “I really wondered where he got the huge sums never seen before in the district, not even during the last elections where (Eduardo) Cojuangco ruled, because he could not even pay his apartment and that his income tax return is very low for a supposed planter-businessman. If my guess is right, it could be between 100-150 millions in the district alone.” 

This city itself is not untouched by palpable election-related irregularities. Reports received by Bulatlat.com indicated that people identified with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her brother-in-law acted as henchmen during the elections infusing tens of millions of pesos into the city.

The local chapter of Patriots, a church-based poll watchdog, said the election irregularities could not have been carried out without the conspiracy of Comelec, the BEIs and payroll master assigned by Malacañang here.

Patriots also revealed other cases of election-related violence including those committed against party-list groups and by goons of political warlords identified with the administration.

Negros special operations

Earlier, Fr. Frank Fernandez, believed to be the leader of the Marxist revolutionary movement in Negros, told the local press that Malacañang, the presidential office, had organized a Negros special operations group composed of officers from the Philippine National Police (PNP), an Army general from PSG, 303rd Brigade, Comelec, and planter cum presidential adviser for Visayas Tony Gatuslao, that would ensure the victory of Macapagal-Arroyo, her brother-in-law and Lakas-K4 bets in Negros.

Party-list groups also joined the victims of electoral fraud and terrorism. In separate reports, Bayan-Negros and Patriots-Negros said that harassment campaigns were carried out against the militant party-list groups in the region during the election.

One of the most celebrated cases was the arrest of Anak ng Bayan (nation’s youth) party nominee Ronald Ian Evidente in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Also the vice-chairman of Bayan-Negros, Evidente was arrested by the police on murder charges, which Bayan said were trumped up. He was accused of participating in the killing of a member of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) in Siaton town, last year.

Evidente was later set free after posting a P 100,000 bail.

On May 8 and 10, two local dailies carried newspaper advertisements maligning the six partylist groups including Bayan Muna, Anak-Pawis, Anak ng Bayan, Migrante, Gabriela Women’s Party and the Suara Bangsamoro.

The ads, which were published in one local daily here, said that once in Congress, the party-list representatives could channel P3 billion worth of funds to the New People’s Army (NPA) and supposedly its naval arm, the Bagong Nabal ng Bayan or BANABA.

Armed elements of RPA and local leaders of Alab Katipunan also reportedly chorused with the military in openly campaigning in many districts against the militant party-list groups, tagging them as “legal fronts of the communist terrorists.”

Meanwhile, armed men believed to be either from the paramilitary Cafgu or soldiers on board motorcycles were seen monitoring the office of Bayan Muna in Candoni town.

On many occasions in La Carlota City, a Bayan Muna streamer was stolen and spray-painted with the words “CPP-NPA.” Posters of various party-list groups were also sprayed with the letterings the night before the end of the May 10 campaign period.

Operators of the RPA were also believed to have spray- painted posters of the party-list groups with the same words in EB Magalona town.

Strafing

In one of the worst cases of harassment, unidentified armed men strafed the house of an Anakpawis member in Silay just before the elections.

Suspicions that the military is orchestrating the campaign was confirmed by spokepersons of 303rd Brigade in their anti-communist Sunday program “Ang inyo army sa Negros” (Your Army in Negros) aired over Bombo Radyo hosted by anchorman Joe Libo-on.  Throughout the election period, the military station aired a barrage of malicious campaign and black propaganda against the party list groups and their leaders.

Also based on reports, some BEI members in Bacolod shaved votes of Anak ng Bayan and credited these to AnakBayan saying that there is no party-list group as Anak ng Bayan. Anak ng Bayan is different from the militant youth group Anaknayan.

Hinterland villagers in southern Negros also reported that the 61st Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Tiling, Cauayan, southern Negros, carried out a sustained anti-partylist campaign led by its commanding officer, Lt. Col. Rey Guerrero in violation of the ban on government officials from engaging in election campaigning.

When Brig. Gen. Efren Abu, chief of the Armed Forces Visayas Command, visited the 303rd Brigade in Negros May 7, he called on the people not to vote for the six party-list organizations because they are front organizations of the CPP-NPA, it was also reported. Bulatlat.com

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