Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Election (Comelec) does not appear keen on pinning down its former head, Benjamin Abalos on the 2007 election rigging, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Thursday.
The Justice Department is at odds with the Comelec who maintained that former South Cotabato Election Supervisor Lilian Radam and former election supervisor in North Cotabato Yogi Martirizar be prosecuted for electoral sabotage.
Both are witnesses against Abalos who they said allegedly masterminded the rigging of the 2007 elections in Mindanao.
“These people are pointing straight to former Comelec chairman [Benjamin] Abalos. This is a prosecutorial discretion. The DoJ believes that it is important that we pin down the mastermind and to us Abalos is the bigger fish,” De Lima said.
“We believe that for the Comelec, it is OK that Abalos get off the hook as long as people like Radam and Martirizar can be prosecuted,” De Lima said.
In one hearing before the Pasay Court Branch 117, the DoJ prosecutors submitted a motion to discharge Atty. Lilian Radam despite disapproval from the Comelec prosecutors.
The Comelec prosecutors have also submitted in court a Comelec en banc resolution insisting that Radam be prosecuted for her part in allegedly rigging the election results in 2007.
Aside from Radam, the Comelec is also against the dropping of electoral sabotage case against former provincial election supervisor in North Cotabato Yogi Martirizar.
In 2007, Abalos Sr., then Comelec chairman ordered that the two be slapped with administrative case due to their alleged involvement in the 2007 election irregularities. Abalos’ ruling was then upheld by his successor, former chairman Jose A.R. Melo.
“We cannot help but doubt the Comelec. You know, Abalos used to be its chair and he [Abalos] is an institution. [But] the allegations against him are very, very serious we cannot just ignore it,” De Lima said.