by Dennis Gadil
Malaya
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon yesterday said a probe into allegations that switching of 2004 election returns took place while the documents were in the custody of House should be handled by another body.
Biazon, chair of the Senate national defense committee, suggested that the Senate electoral reform committee headed by Sen. Richard Gordon undertake a fresh inquiry. Gordon was not available for comment.
He said the only reason the Senate defense panel spearheaded the previous investigation was that generals of the Armed Forces were implicated in the alleged electoral fraud in 2004.
He said the involvement of the Special Action Force of the PNP, and not the military, also makes a good argument against taking jurisdiction over the new information.
He assured the full cooperation of his Senate defense panel by “making available all materials presented to the committee.”
A VERA files report by journalist Ellen Tordesillas said SAF commandos have admitted to switching ballot boxes and replacing them with fake election returns to make it appear that President Arroyo won over rival candidate Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004. The report said the operation took place right at the South Wing building of the House of Representatives where the contested ballot boxes were being kept.
The SAF officers said they switched the election returns of several provinces on three occasions to reconcile these with the figures in the certificates of canvass and statements of votes that were allegedly tampered with.
Some of them said they got their orders from Chief Supt. Marcelino Franco, then commanding officer of the SAF, saying they were under the impression that it was a “legal operation.”
The last time that the “Hello Garci” probe on alleged cheating in the 2004 polls was re-opened was in August last year after Sen. Panfilo Lacson, in a privilege speech, showed a videotape of former intelligence agent T/Sgt. Vidal Doble who claimed he wiretapped former election official Virgilio Garcillano and President Arroyo.
Doble said the wiretapping, ordered by high-ranking military officials, was conducted under “Project Lighthouse,” started in late 2003 to tap phones of groups considered a threat to the government as well as officials with doubtful loyalties, including Garcillano.
“She wanted to maintain a lead of 1 million,” Doble had told the Senate probe body, adding that the two also spoke of fears that a local election officer might divulge cheating that allegedly took place in the south.
Others wiretapped by military intelligence included Arroyo’s election rival Fernando Poe Jr., an opposition senator, a former Arroyo Cabinet official, and a former aide of ousted President Joseph Estrada, Doble said.
The question is…does Gordon have the balls, honest and sincere enough to investigate? Please remember Gordon is with the administration. It is only now that he’s trying to show us his being independent due to his desire for higher office in 2010.
May enough yagballs naman kaya si Dick to undertake ER switching investigation? Say mo Jug? Dick is your presidentiable, di ba? 🙂
This is the best challenge to ever come Gordon’s way. If he is serious in running, he should prove that he can hack it. Marami siyang makukuha kung magiging matino at independent of Gloria ang makikita ng madlang pipol sa probe.
Gordon has the makings of a great leader. He has a track record of community organizing, he’s a visionary, eloquent, educated, management, has substantial influence on his peers, and has a traumatic life changing experience of losing his father in a violent, politics-related murder.
He now faces his most challenging test – INTEGRITY.
I have not doubt that FPJ and even Erap were lacking in the earlier mentioned qualities, but in hindsight they were men of integrity…if Gordon fails this test, I’ll probably lose my trust in educated candidates forever…and probably our hopes of ever having the best possible candidate died with FPJ or were lost the moment we deposed Erap…
If the administration has something on Gordon (skeletons in the closet), he stands to lose everything if he pursues this sincerely…but he gets to earn our respect…
You better hope Gordon won’t be like Neri, jug.
bd,
Yikes! If Gordon is a “gorgon” (closet) then were in for a big disappointment… (:
I don’t mind if one is a gorgon as long as s/he as integrity, has a big heart/compassionate and is unswayable in standing up for the TRUTH.
integrity..honesty, sincerity..
is this still in the vocabulary of the trapos in Phil. politics..I wonder…
RP court should follow this US court ruling:
WASHINGTON – President Bush’s top advisers are not immune from congressional subpoenas, a federal judge ruled Thursday in a long-running dispute between the two political branches.
Congressional Democrats called the ruling a ringing endorsement of the principle that nobody is above the law. They swiftly announced that the Bush officials who have defied their subpoenas, including Bush’s former top adviser Karl Rove, must appear as part of a probe of whether the White House directed the firings of nine federal prosecutors. Democrats announced plans to open hearings at the height of election season.
The Bush administration was expected to appeal.
The Democratic Congress has an 8% approval rating against Bush who has 32%. Most of those federal prosecutors were inutil, there is nothing good about them. So, why waste our taxpayers money on their salary. The only branch of government or party that is above the law in the U.S. are the Democrats. Look at Jefferson of Louisiana, the FBI caught him with payoff money stassed away in his freezer yet he is immune from investigation. The Democratic Party in the U.S. is no difference from the rule of your President. They are all arrogant.
sajonista
Jug,
Some years back, I introduced Gordon to NHK when they were looking for someone to interview. He was actually recommended by a friend in the Bay Area. I did not talk to him directly but to someone in his office to fix the interview, etc. It went through and he was featured in the special program on outstanding Asians. He was not yet chairman of the Red Cross then as a matter and his problem with Erap was just starting. At least, he is proving to be a no “Yes, Ma’m!”
Hindi naman niya kailangan as a matter of fact, because he has his own domain, Zambales, and definitely, between this guy and Gloria Dorobo, you can bet your bottom dollar, Uncle Sam would prefer him because of the legacy of his father, the former mayor of Subic, a US stronghold in the Philippines then and a US mestiso himself.
as a matter of fact….
I met and talked with Dick in Virginia. The Manila resto owners (friends of ours) hosted a sumptuous pinoy lunch for him. Because he was praising Gloria, nawalan ako ng gana and left his table. I was not really impressed, but the best I can say is that Dick is a good talker.
Trillanes pa rin ako! 🙂
I guess, kasi hindi niya kaibigan si Erap, Chi, at para sa kaniya, mas kaya niya si Gloria garutay kaya siguro panay ang puri niya. At saka siguro akala niya pro-Arroyo rin kayo as many of the Filipinos in America were supporters of EDSA 2. I did not kasi nakilatis ko na si garutay even before EDSA 2.
Mas OK di hamak si Senator Pimentel kesa kay Gordon kaya lang on the way out na rin siya. Magre-retire na kasi second term na niya sa Senate. Unfortunately, masyadong malakas ang daya machine ni Gloria garutay sa lugar nila kaya iyong anak niya hindi maboto apparently. Sayang, topnotcher pa naman si Koko sa bar. Kailangan niyang gumawa ng pangalan para sa kaniyang sarili gaya ng ginagawa for instance ni Atty. Roque.
Sana kumilos na ang 11M na bumoto kay Senator Trillanes. Hindi naman kailangan ang bombahin nila ang SC at COMELEC. Araw-arawin lang nila ang picket doon baka matauhan ang mga bobong pinaupo ni Garutay doon. In other words, kunsumihin nila ang mga mokong na nangdudunung-dunungang hindi marunong gumalang ng tinatawag na “Will of the People.”
Kawawang bansa!
I thought that Sen. Biazon was being sarcastic when he said that Gordon should take the lead in investigating the break-in at the Batasan. Gordon was a long time mayor of Olongapo City, a dead end town in Zambales. That is his only bailiwick. He is not very popular outside his city. His first encounter with ERAP that I know of was when ERAP, together with a few followers, rallied for the removal of the US military base at Olongapo City. ERAP and his followers were stoned out of the city by the volunteers of Gordon. Come ERAPs time, what was the first thing he did? He removed Gordon from the SBMA. There is bad blood between these two. Gordon is close to some COMELEC officials. He has never lost in an election. He is not known in Visayas or Mindanao. How he became Senator is a big question mark to me. Now to investigate election cheating, I dont think he would touch that with a 10 foot pole
Gordon loves to talk and talk. His colleagues and media dislike whenever he attends hearing or gives speeches. It lasts forever. Yes, he’s only popular in Olongapo. Olongaponians love him. One factor that goes in favor of Gordon is that he’s an Amboy…a true blooded American Boy.
OK so Gordon has the balls. He has the integrity and cut all his ties with Gloria. He also found out the truth on the ballot switching. And then what will happen. Can he ask Gloria to go? Will Gloria step down from her stolen throne? No way. Everybody knows that she will never do it, not even up to the last gasp of her breath, instead expect her to respond with her infamous smirk and contempt to the rule of law. Probing is just wasting the time of those distinguish ladies and gentlemen in the senate who by the way can never find a way to conclude whatever they started and of course another waste of the people’s money. It is wiser then to forget the idea and let these ladies and gentlemen spend their precious time to work on their Plan2010. And the money saved just give it instead to Gloria and Mike, anyways one way or another; their dirty fingers will be dipping on the cookie jar sooner or later.
My advice to Gordon is not to take this on. No one is really looking for an impartial investigation. The media and many others have already made up their mind.
Gordon has to make lots of pogi points between now and 2010.
Pepito says:
“My advice to Gordon is not to take this on. No one is really looking for an impartial investigation.”
Speak for yourself.
Careful, Tongue, mukhang pakawala ni Dorobo iyan! Madali naman malaman sa totoo lang especially in my case na may monitoring for this kind of paid bloggers.