MANILA, Philippines?Raised voices and upturned chairs marred a discussion on ballot secrecy folders Tuesday at the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The scene was a meeting called by the entire commission on the controversial P700-million contract for plastic folders for use in the May 10 elections. The contract had earlier been awarded to OTC Paper Supply Co.

Per former Comelec lawyer Melchor Magdamo?s account to reporters, Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and Arwin Serrano of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting engaged in a shouting match, with Ferrer going to the extent of kicking chairs in an excessive show of bad temper.

Serrano and Magdamo questioned in April the awarding of the ballot secrecy contract to OTC Paper Supply Co.

They were summoned to Tuesday?s en banc session to explain why, in taking issue with the P700-million contract, they disclosed their suspicions to the media instead of to their superiors.

Death threat

At a press briefing after the en banc session, Magdamo said Ferrer pointed a finger at Serrano and shouted ?You?re a liar!? at him several times.

The commissioner also kicked chairs and accused him and Serrano of ?destroying the Comelec,? said Magdamo, who recently resigned from the poll body as a lawyer assigned to the office of Chair Jose Melo.

The tirade lasted ?2-3 minutes,? Magdamo said.

Both Serrano and Magdamo blamed a number of Comelec officials, including Executive Director Jose Tolentino, for the scam.

They said Tolentino pushed for the bid and withheld the ?exorbitant? price of P380 for each folder from the commission en banc.

Magdamo said he had received a number of death threats for his part in the exposé.

He raised the possibility that Tolentino?s ?enemies? out for revenge would kill him and Serrano and put the blame on Comelec officials.

?If something happens to me and Dr. Serrano, Tolentino will be responsible,? Magdamo said.

He yelled first

Sought for comment by reporters, Ferrer admitted shouting and pointing a finger at Serrano.

But he denied kicking chairs or challenging Serrano to a fight, as claimed by the two men.

Ferrer said it was Serrano who first yelled at him, saying: ?Don?t point your finger at me!?

He said he lost his temper at that point and shouted at Serrano: ?I can point my finger at you whenever I want to! Who are you anyway??

Ferrer said Serrano and Magdamo could not give concrete evidence to back their claims that certain Comelec officials had received money from some bidders.

He said the poll body was considering filing libel charges against the two men for ?destroying the Comelec.?

1.8M folders

OTC Paper Supply Co. was to have supplied the Comelec 1.8 million expandable plastic folders for the May 10 elections at P380 each.

But the poll body canceled the contract after it was questioned, saying the purchase of 1.8 million folders at that price was ?extravagant.?

Magdamo resigned from the Comelec earlier this month, saying there had been threats on his life. With a report from Inquirer Research