Mammoth electoral fraud in Philippines elections: Padding and shaving (tags)
Nearly three weeks after election day, there are still no definitive results for the Philippine elections to the Senate and House of Representatives. Counting is still continuing and in a number of provinces it has not even begun. This has nothing to do with inefficiency and everything to do with ballot-rigging. The Philippines is one of the most corrupt ‘democracies’ in the world. During the 2004 presidential election, the victory of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was widely attributed to large-scale fraud. A tape was massively circulated of a conversation between the President and Virgilio Garcillano, head of Comelec, the national election commission. Arroyo was heard addressing him familiarly, ‘Hello Garci’, and the election chief proudly assured her that he would guarantee her a million-vote majority.
OPLAN Mercury Rising in motion (tags)
At the rate the newspapers and TV newscasts are exposing real evidence of electoral fraud since 29 May 2007, Bantay Boto ng Bayan cannot help but feel vindicated for exposing Oplan Mercury Rising. The numerous dagdag-bawas reports accurately quoting, by the hundred thousands of vote leads for Team Unity candidates in the 13th to the 16th slots, give due credence to the Oplan. The provinces where the calumny occurred are the same provinces mentioned in the Oplan. The named Comelec officials are the same persons identified in the Oplan. 1. The delay of the Comelec en banc as the National Board of Canvassers in tallying the provincial COCs and more specifically the canvassing slowdown, particularly in the Oplan Mercury Rising provinces are indicators that this major Oplan strategy is being implemented. It has deferred canvassing in Maguindanao, Sulu, Caloocan City, Taguig-Pateros, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato for varied reasons, including allegations of massive cheating, yet no charges and complaints were filed against any Comelec and public official involve We are sending a very strong message on the eventual and probable loss of Honasan, Trillanes and Pimentel, as clearly being shown by the current events. We know that the rule of law will ultimately reign. Concerned Comelec officials must now choose whether they prefer the law of the jungle instead. Bantay Boto ng Bayan is making this statement after due consultation with the convenors of the uniformed active and retired member organizations and with the explicit support from their allied civil society groups.
MILF-GRP Peace Talks Update ; MILF wants entire Kudarat- GRP (tags)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is demanding the inclusion of the entire Sultan Kudarat province as part of a new autonomous region in Mindanao as a condition for a final peace agreement with the government, a ranking Malacañang official revealed yesterday.