Police officer in alleged 2004 poll fraud apologizes to Poe widow, nation

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Susan Roces

MANILA, Philippines – Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago, the officer who exposed alleged cheating in the 2004 presidential elections, and his men apologized to the Filipino people and to actress Susan Roces, widow of actor and then candidate Fernando Poe Jr. for taking part in an operation meant to ensure that then incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won.

“We would like to extend our apology to the Philippine nation, especially to Madame Susan Roces, [for] the error which at this point we are trying to rectify,” Santiago said in a press conference at the Department of Justice in behalf of his team.

“We know that our lives are at risk here, our families. We know that we are facing powerful people, but there will be no turning back. The truth shall set us free,” Santiago told reporters at a press conference Friday.

Santiago, together with Police Officers 2 Rudy Gahar, Alan Layugan, Rodel Tabangin and Trifon Laxamana and Police Officer 1 Norman Duco appeared before Justice Secretary Leila De Lima and turned over a total of 38 original election returns from Mindanao, which they admitted to have taken from the premises of Batasan Pambansa in 2005. They did not submit signed affidavits, telling De Lima they needed more time to put the statements together.

But Santiago said that he had no personal knowledge of whether former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo funded the Batasan Pambansa break-ins from January to February 2005.

“I don’t have any knowledge but we heard that from a certain person who later, maybe through the effort of the DoJ, will establish that, but as far as personal knowledge, I don’t know anything about it,” Santiago said when asked about the First Gentleman’s alleged participation.

Pressed as to who this person was, Santiago replied: “As I said, we cannot give details of the facts surrounding it because we are refrained by the DoJ until we submit [our] statements.”

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima surmised that the series of break-in at the Batasan Pambansa from January to February 2005, which involved Santiago’s team, was in “anticipation” of the granting of the petition of Roces to the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to allow her to take the place of her husband in his electoral protest after his sudden death in December 2004.

The Supreme Court, however, junked Roces’ petition and a recount was never done.