Saturday, July 30, 2011
AS POLL fraud witnesses continue to emerge, the joint investigation to be conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as the court proceedings will take a long time, the Palace said Saturday.
"Whether we like it or not, mahaba ang proseso. Apart from the normal process that a case under litigation undertakes, you also have to contend with the number of witnesses presented by the defense and prosecution," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over government-run dzRB radio. Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said Friday that another "17 to 18 feelers" have expressed their intentions to come out and reveal what they know about the alleged fraud over the results of the 2004 presidential elections.
Earlier, police Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago and some members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force came out of seclusion and admitted their involvement on the switching of election returns (ERs) in 2004 to allegedly secure the victory of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Several others -- former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol, suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Zaldy Ampatuan, and three other Maguindanao Comelec employees -- also surfaced and shed light on the controversy.
The Palace said it can only urge the DOJ to expedite the proceedings once the joint investigation is completed, since it does not have power over the conviction of those allegedly involved.
Valte said the evidence and accounts these whistleblowers present will be heavily scrutinized by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
"There is a proper venue for everything, lumalabas ang mga taong ito, tungkulin naming tingnan ang ebidensya," she said.
The Palace aide also expressed concern over the credibility of a certain Joel Pinawin, who, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson, offered video footage of the alleged switching of poll returns in Batasan Pambansa.
Reports indicated that the video footage was earlier being sold to the opposition.