MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) The latest twist in the poll fraud saga comes in the testimony of a former censors chief who disclosed that a group claiming to be Commission on Elections officials approached him with an offer to cheat for administration standard bearer Gilbert Teodoro for P1 billion.

Manuel Morato, who testified before the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, said the men wanted him to act as a conduit for the offer, but he did not bother to inform Teodoro about it because he knew ?it was out of character for [Teodoro] to indulge in such an operation.?

Morato, a Teodoro supporter, said he appeared before the committee to corroborate the statements of lawyer Homobono Adaza, who said a group of seven men, four of who were Comelec regional directors that supposedly controlled 14 regions, were behind an election-rigging operation.

?I mentioned to [Adaza] something happened on the first week of February. I was visited by seven people offering their service regarding the forthcoming election, but it was not being offered to me because I was not a candidate. It was being offered to presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro through me. I was supposed to be the conduit because they could not get hold of [Teodoro],? he said.

He said the group of men claimed that for P1 billion, they could cheat for a candidate and make him win, or protect the candidate from being cheated.

He also said he had the designations of the four alleged Comelec officials, but left his notes at home. He also only got the first names of two of the men, and identified them as ?Artie? and ?Bong.?

He also remembered the faces of the men, and said that he could identify them if shown pictures.

Makati Representative Teodoro Locsin suggested that Morato be shown pictures of Comelec employees to pick out those who went to his house and to verify if they really were from the Comelec.

In a later interview, he said one of the men has already appeared in the media.

?I wish I could say more here. One of them has appeared in newspapers,? he said.

As to the possibility that he was being scammed, he said he was old enough to know if someone was pulling his leg.

?Believe me, they're real,? he added.

According to Morato, who called himself computer illiterate, the men claimed that they could manipulate election results by tampering with the source code, changing the memory card and manipulating the transmission of election results.

He did not detail how the men protect a candidate?s votes.

He said he engaged the men in conversation even though he had no intention of getting their services, and at one point, the group even lowered their price to P750 million. He said that upon acceptance of the offer, the men would ask for a down payment of P250 million, then another P400 million, with the rest to be paid after the elections.

He said that information he got from the men jibed with the claims of election fixing made by a masked man ? called ?Koala Bear" by Teodoro because of his appearance ? in a video. He said he obtained a transcript of the statements of this witness, whom some officials doubted because of his refusal to come out in the open and to substantiate his claims.

Surigao del Norte Governor Ace Barbers said Morato's testimony corroborated his claims of being offered a cheating service for a princely sum.

Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez raised the possibility that the men who met with Morato were scam artists out to collect money from candidates. Golez doubted whether anyone would have fallen prey to them.

?I don't know if anyone would consider a proposal where the end result is not clear, where one would have to make a down payment of P250 million. That is a fantastic story as far as this representation is concerned. I don't know any politician who would even consider that proposition,? he said.

Golez said the next step should be to verify the identity of the men and that it was the lawmakers' collective responsibility to do this by showing Morato pictures of Comelec officials to see if the men who went to see him were really from the poll body.

?Until this exercise comes to fruition... I think we can leave it at that. I cannot see the reason why we should pursue this story without that very important input. Otherwise, we'll be taking this committee on a wild-goose chase,? he said.

Morato's public testimony almost did not come to pass after Locsin said that he should speak in executive session lest he make wild accusations and malign presidential candidates under a coat of immunity.

But his colleagues objected, saying other witnesses were allowed to openly speak during the hearing. Morato himself said he did not want to speak in executive session.

Later, Locsin said that upon the prodding of the House leadership and against his better judgment, he was letting Morato speak.