Category: 2004 elections

‘Jose Miguel Arroyo owned helicopters’

Published by Ellen on August 1, 2011

Businessman to testify in Senate probe
By Cathy Yamsuan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Two five-year old helicopters sold as brand new to the Philippine National Police in 2009 were among the five choppers that then First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo acquired for the campaign of his wife, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in the 2004 presidential election.

This was disclosed by a businessman, who was privy to the sale of the helicopters to Mike Arroyo in late 2003. The businessman is scheduled to appear as a witness at a hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday.

The Inquirer tried to contact Sunday night Raul Lambino, lawyer and spokesperson of the Arroyos, to get his side but did not get any response.

Questions nobody asked ‘Garci’

Published by Ellen on July 31, 2011

Who is Maj. Jason Aquino and who was he representing?

The press conference of former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano raised more questions which the reporters didn’t ask.

It seemed that reporters in that press conference held in Bukidnon wanted only to hear Garci say “I was ordered by Gloria Arroyo to cheat” and when they didn’t hear that, they didn’t know any more what questions to ask.

They didn’t question when Garci said that there was no point for them to cheat because it was ten days after elections.

The reporters didn’t point out to Garcillano that in 2004, it was still manual elections and counting and canvassing took even more than a month. They were still tampering with election results in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao to make up for the unexpected avalanche of votes for Fernando Poe Jr that came from the vote-rich Lingayen-Lucena corridor.

‘We switched ERs for Gloria Arroyo’

Published by Ellen on July 29, 2011

First of a series

PNP team admits breaking into Batasan building

By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer

A police officer and his “boys” have come forward saying they stole original election returns (ERs) then kept at the Batasang Pambansa building and replaced these with fake ones to make sure Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would still emerge the winner of the 2004 presidential election in the event of a recount.

Senior Supt. Rafael Santiago, now assigned at the Philippine National Police Directorate for Operations in Camp Crame, presented to the Inquirer envelopes bearing the seal of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and containing what he said were original ERs from various areas in Mindanao.

Prior to his appointment in Camp Crame, Santiago was relieved as police director of Zambales province.

May mga kakampi ngayon ni Pnoy na maaring matamaan kapag hinalungkat ang dayaan sa 2004 na eleksyun

Published by Ellen on July 24, 2011

original sin — A Marine officer was jailed 3 and 1/2 years for sharing this DVD about Gloria Arroyo's cheating in the 2004 elections.

Natutuwa ako na nabuhay ang “Hello Garci” at ang dayaan ng 2004 na eleksyun. Sana, sa wakas, malalaman natin ang buong katotohanan.

Natatawa rin ako dahil sa paglabas ng mga recycled na mga artikulo at mga impormasyun na nilabas nitong mga nakaraang anim na taon ay akala ng marami ay bago. Katulad na lang ng pinalabas ni Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero na documentary ng dayaan ng 2004 eleksyun noong isang linggo. Sinabi sa news reports first time daw pinalabas.

Sa totoo lang, maraming beses na pinalabas yan mula pa noong 2006. Ang gumawa niyan ay ang grupo nina Marichu Vera Perez-Maceda, matalik na kaibigan ni Susan Roces at kilala sa kanyang palayaw na “Manay Ichu.”

Ang pamilya ni Manay Ichu ang may-ari ng Sampaguita Pictures na noon ay isa sa malaking movie production company.
Maraming bersyun ang ginawa ni Manay Ichu dahil habang ginagawa ang docu film,maraming impormasyun ang dumarating.

Ang isang bersyun nga na ang pamagat ay “Original Sin” ay isa sa mga DVD na naging dahilan ng pagkakulong ni Capt. Artemio Raymundo ng tatlo at kalahating taon.

Take two from Clinton John Colcol

Published by Ellen on July 21, 2011

Clinton colcol — Photo from ABS-CBN online

In July 2006, Artemio Rasalan, a self-confessed election operator and Clinton John Colcol, a Maguindanao municipal government employee, at great risk to their lives, came out with a signed affidavits and video confessions about their role in tampering with the 2004 election results in favor of Gloria Arroyo.

Media carried their revelations.Malacañang, then under the control of Arroyo , and members of Congress dismissed Rasalan and Colcol’s affidavits as “rehash.”

After I came out with the report on the role of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police in the switching of election returns at the Batasan Pambansa in 2008, Colcol wrote me requesting that his affidavit be removed from my blog because he was pursuing a religious vocation. I complied.

After “Hello” from Bedol, will it be “Hello Garci”?

Published by Ellen on July 19, 2011

bedol and his cellphone — Photo by Rhoy Cobilla of Malaya

It was so ludicrous that you would think it was a Michael V skit.

Yesterday, at the start of the media presentation of Lintang Bedol at the Commission on Elections in Intramuros, Manila, Chairman Sixto Brillantes told the magician election supervisor of Maguindanao, ” O baka gusto mo mag-hello.”

Bedol, wearing dark glasses and a bullet-proof vest, looked so relaxed despite the charge of contempt that was slapped on him for his four-year disappearance when he was asked to produce some documents related to the 2007 elections.

Bedol, waving to the reporters, said, “Hello, kumusta kayo lahat.”

It was bizarre.

I don’t think he realized his crime when he tampered the results of the 2004 elections subverting the people’s choice of their leaders thereby allowing a fake president to remain in power for six more years.

Zaldy and Bedol under WPP: a stinking package deal

Published by Ellen on July 17, 2011

Surely, Justice Secretary Lilia de Lima knows the ramifications of her willingness to consider Zaldy Ampatuan, former governor of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and one of the 196 persons accused in connection with the Maguindanao massacre, as state witness in a possible election fraud case against Gloria Arroyo.

“That is a new case, a totally different case and we can consider them, or whoever, it is Zaldy Ampatuan or Lintang Bedol. It would depend on the extent of their participation, “ De Lima said a day after Zaldy and former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol said in separate interviews with ABS-CBN’s Anthony Taberna where they dangled information everybody knew about cheating in the 2004 and 2007 elections. Nothing in the published reports, though, directly implicates Gloria Arroyo.

De Lima also echoed Malacañang’s assurance that Zaldy will not be considered state witness in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre that killed at least 58 persons, 32 of them journalists. This was despite the offer of Zaldy that he was willing to turn his back on his father, Andal Ampatuan Sr, identified by witnesses as the mastermind of the gruesome murders, and his brother, Andal Jr, identified as the triggerman.

Malalim ang drama ni Zaldy Ampatuan at Bedol

Published by Ellen on July 16, 2011

bedol july 2011 — Photo from ABS-CBN online. Thanks.

Sa unang pahayag ni dating Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol tungkol sa dayaan noong 2004 at 2007 na eleksyun, bistado na kaagad ang mali ng kanyang mga detalye.

Maaring may totoo doon sa sinabi niya, ngunit mukhang hindi tama ang pagsama niya kay Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento doon saan biyahe sa Gen. Santos City para mag-authenticate ng Election returns noong 2007.

Hindi natin masabi kung talagang sadya niyang guluhin ang sarili niyang pahayag o talagang sa sobrang sanay niya sa pagsisinungaling ay naghalo-halo na ang katotohanan at ang mga inimbento niya at siya mismo hindi na niya malaman kung alin ang totoo.

Ngunit kahit paano naman, may kabutihan na ring nangyari dahil ngayon gusto na ni Sen. Chiz Escudero na magkaroon ulit ng imbestigasyun ang Senado tungkol doon para malaman ng taumbayan ang buong katotohanan.

SAF commandos confirm 2004 poll fraud coverup

Published by Ellen on July 15, 2011

Former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol, in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Anthony Taberna said that investigation in the 2004 election fraud should look into the supposed ballot box-switching at the House of Representatives.

“Importante masyado iyun to find out whether or not nagkaroon nga tayo ng totoong presidente o hindi,” Bedol said. “Kasi doon, meron movement of ballot boxes. Sa tingin, ko baka switching yan. Pag switching yan, fake naman … ngayon kung mga peke ang dokumento e siguro may pekeng presidente … yan ang gusto kong patunayan.”

I’m reposting here the two-part special report on that subject I did for VERA Files on July 28 and 29, 2008.

SAF commandos confirm 2004 poll fraud coverup

(First of two parts)

When Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivers her eighth State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa session hall today, she will be standing close to where, three years ago, police commandos say they replaced genuine election returns (ERs) with fake ones in ballot boxes that were being readied for a recount of the 2004 presidential election.

The ER switching at the Batasan had been talked about and reported on since 2005, when Arroyo apologized for talking to an election official while the votes were being counted, in what has since been known as the “Hello, Garci” scandal.

Recently, some of those who took part in that clandestine operation have sought legal refuge, executing affidavits and taped testimonies of their involvement. Others told friends in confidence, while a few boasted about it in drinking sessions.

New Special Forces chief mentioned in “Hello Garci”

Published by Ellen on July 22, 2010

The latest reshuffle in the military has Major General Arturo Ortiz taking over as commander of the Philippine Army.

Ortiz is an awardee of the Medal of Valor, the highest military award.

(Two medal of valor awardees- Marine Col. Ariel Querubin and Marine Lt. Vol. Custodio Parcon are among those facing charges of mutiny for allegedly planning to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo in 2006 following the revelation in the “Hello Garci” tapes where the role of the military in election cheating was exposed.)

Brigadier General Roberto Morales will take over Ortiz’s post as commander of the AFP Special Operations Command. Colonel Aminkadra Undug will take over Morales’ former post as chief of the Army’s Special Forces Regiment.

I have my concerns about Undug (PMA Class’82). He was mentioned in the “Hello Garci” tapes by a certain “Boy” whom then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was talking with in their plan to kidnap Rashma Hali, an election officer in Tipo-tipo, Basilan who wanted to expose the manipulation of votes in favor of Arroyo.