Mayuga Report: Garci kin offered poll exec a bribe

A nephew of then Commission on Elections Commissioner (Comelec) Virgilio Garcillano tried to bribe a poll official in Mindanao to tamper with the results of the 2004 presidential election in favor of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, according to an annex of the Mayuga Report.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said he was surprised this assertion by Comelec Region IX Director Helen Flores was “hidden” on page 40 of the Summary of Testimonies attached to the report.

In her testimony, Flores said Capt. Valentino Lopez, Garcillano’s nephew and security aide, approached her during the canvassing of votes at Zamboanga Coliseum and offered her a large bribe “not only to favor mayoralty candidate Lepengwe but to remedy the big lead of FPJ in favor of GMA.”

In the annex, Flores said Lopez made her a first offer of P50 million and a second of P100 million.

“The Mayuga panel which was tasked to investigate involvement of the military in election fraud did not find this reference to GMA important even if this is one of the most damning testimonies on that issue,” Colmenares said.

Worse, Mayuga did not even mention Lopez’s confirmation of Garcillano as being in Mindanao during the 2004 elections despite Garcillano’s strong denials he was in the region at the time.

On page 45 of the summary annex, Lopez testified that he was a nephew and security aide of Garcillano, travelling with him during the election.

Lopez admitted going with Garcillano to Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga, Sulu, Cagayan de Oro and Batangas, and confirmed that he met with Flores at the Zamboanga Gym during the canvassing as the “advance party” of Garcillano.