Comelec files ‘electoral sabotage’ charges vs Abalos

Former Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections filed two cases of electoral sabotage against former Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. for the alleged cheating that took place in North and South Cotabato during the 2007 senatorial elections.

“We voted to file the case during the en banc session yesterday; we’re just finishing the documentation. There’s so much documentation and we have to complete other documents that would attached to the criminal information,” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. told reporters.

He said all commissioners, except for Augusto Lagman who was absent, voted to charge Abalos.

However, in order for the case against Abalos to prosper, Brillantes said, the cases against South Cotabato provincial elections supervisor Lilian Radam and her North Cotabato counterpart, Yogie Martirazar, would be reinstated even if the joint Comelec-Department of Justice preliminary investigation panel found no probable cause to charge them in court.

“We have disregarded the recommendation of the panel exonerating them. We’re pursuing a conspiracy theory here and we had to resolve a jurisdictional issue,” he added.

Abalos’ motion for reconsideration was also denied by the commission, meeting as a group, Brillantes said.

“I’m his [Abalos’] friend and I will also get hurt by what I’m about to do. My apologies, I’m just doing my job,” he added.

The chair added that the commissioners debated whether to file the case against Abalos at the  Sandiganbayan or the Pasay City court.

“If Abalos [committed the offense] in relation to his being the chairman of the Comelec, it would be filed  at the Sandiganbayan. But if it’s a conspiracy, it should be filed in the RTC. We decided for the latter,” he said.

He added that it was up to the court whether to to issue an arrest warrant immediately.

The Comelec filed an electoral sabotage case against Radam in February. Last September she and Martirazar surfaced at the DOJ and claimed it was Abalos and two military intelligence officials, Capt. Peter Reyes and Maj. Joey Leaban, who ordered them to cheat.

Brillantes said the existing case against Radam would be amended so that Abalos and the other suspects (except Leaban, who is already deceased) would be included. A separate electoral sabotage case will also be filed against Martirazar, Reyes, with Abalos and the others as co-respondents.

The two election supervisors said they met Abalos in Davao City and he ordered them to make sure the administration Team Unity senatorial slate would sweep the race. They added that Abalos also told them that the “12-0” instruction came from Malacañang.

Radam claimed Leaban gave her P2.1 million to cover up the poll fraud. He said another military official, Col. Reuben Basiao, offered her P5 for every vote added to Team Unity candidates.

Reyes allegedly served as Martirazar’s “handler.”

Asked to comment about Abalos’ claim that the witnesses against him were not credible, Brillantes replied that the testimonies of Radam, Martirazars and former Manguindanao provincial administrator Norie Unas were strong.

He said the Comelec also decided not to pursue the case or investigate former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo anymore in these two cases because there was no direct evidence against her.

Originally posted at 5:16 p.m.