Mandaue and Bohol deny Loren's poll fraud claims

The election registrar in Mandaue City yesterday maintained the integrity of the results of the last May 2004 elections, contrary to what former senator Loren Legarda has claimed.

City election registrar Ferdinand Gujilde said Legarda's accusation of falsified election returns in Mandaue City covering the presidential and vice presidential contest is false and impossible.

Gujilde said the Legarda's camp watchers at the precinct level themselves closely monitored the elections aside from legal personnel, the National Movement for Free Elections, C-Cimpel and watchers from the camps of Arroyo and Poe.

Although, he made the denial, Gujilde said Legarda should identify the barangay and precincts that allegedly falsified election returns.

Results of last election in Mandaue City showed that President Gloria Arroyo had a big margin compared to late actor Fernando Poe Jr. in the city's 763 polling precincts, the same with Vice President Noli De Castro against Legarda.

Arroyo got 83,064 votes while Poe got 14,631 votes. De Castro got 82,997compared to Legarda who got 23,228 votes.

In Bohol, Governor Erico Aumentado also denied Legarda's accusation of massive fraud, calling it an insult to the Boholanos who voted for Arroyo and De Castro.

Legarda showed copies of "patently falsified election returns" from three separate locations in Angeles City in Pampanga and Mandaue City. She said the handwriting on the returns were done by one person as they were similar in form and execution and symmetrical in formation. - Jose P. Sollano