Puno denies discussing electoral fraud with Ferrer

MANILA, Philippines - Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno denied yesterday allegations that he had discussed electoral fraud with Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer.

“No such conversation ever transpired nor did I in any way contemplate, much less engage, in any acts or activities to affect the integrity and accuracy of the elections,” he said.

Puno said he does not personally know Ferrer, nor has he met him to engage in electoral fraud in the May 10 elections.

“For the record, I would like to state this crude attempt to smear the elections, like the Koala Bear witness episode, is part of an attempt by irresponsible and criminal minded people to cause instability, distrust in our institutions, and a declaration of election failure.

“I believe the 2010 elections, and the Comelec official tabulations, are and were a true reflection of the people’s will. I will do everything possible under the law to ensure that the elected national and local officials are enabled to exercise the mandate they have received from our voters.”

Ferrer also denied that the alleged conversation with Puno had taken place.

“It was definitely not me,” he said.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the supposed taped conversation and the appearance of masked whistle-blower “Koala Boy” might be part of a “grand design to discredit the Comelec and undermine the automated polls.”

Those behind these controversies might want to cast doubt on the next president by shaking the people’s confidence in the elections, he added.

Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo has reserved comment on the reported taped conversation between Puno and Ferrer. “We’ll look into this,” he said.

“I will bring this up when we have our en banc meeting (today). I have not heard the tape.”

Military will not probe allegations of poll fraud

The military will not take part in the investigation of alleged electoral fraud in the May 10 elections.

Speaking to reporters, Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the military cannot get involved in any political issue.

“Our only role when it comes to the conduct of elections is to provide security,” he said.

“We are a professional organization and we just follow orders. We just follow the directives given to us.”

Burgos said the military is convinced that the last elections were credible.

“The election was generally peaceful and then we have the results already,” he said.

“We did our best to protect the sanctity of the ballot and it turned out well.”

Koala Boy’s handlers talked with Archbishop Cruz

Two handlers of “Koala Boy” approached Archbishop Emeritus of Lingayen-Dagupan Oscar Cruz to seek sanctuary after the masked whistle-blower exposed alleged fraud in the May 10 elections.

Cruz told The STAR in a phone interview yesterday his friend arranged a meeting with the two last Friday.

“I said, why not, but the problem is although I want to and it is correct, but he has a family,” he said.

Cruz said Jun Lozada, the whistle-blower in the $329-million ZTE-NBN deal, faced the same predicament.

“There is some heroism here if you come out,” he said.

However, Koala Boy had come out because he was not paid for his services, he added.

Cruz said he could not say whether Koala Boy’s handlers were from the government because he didn’t ask them many questions.

He added he didn’t want to be compromised and he didn’t want to know many things but later he couldn’t tell the truth.

Cruz said he didn’t even know their names, but based on what they told him “it looks like there’s some truth to it.”

“So I have a feeling that there were too many details to make them altogether false,” he said.

His problem was he didn’t ask enough details and let the two do the talking, he added.

Cruz said they gave him a transcript of Koala Boy’s media interview, a compact disc and a ballot, part of millions of copies left in their poll fraud operations.

The problem was that Smartmatic didn’t want to hire information technology people in the Philippines, he added.

Cruz said it was only Smartmatic people who knew about automated elections operations and the Comelec commissioners had no part in it.

“The system was also vote shaving-padding but it was mechanized, it’s automated,” he said in Filipino.

Cruz said Koala Boy plans to just remain in hiding.

“So far that is the way it is,” he said. 

Today, he will again talk to someone who is close to Koala Boy, Cruz said.

Atienza: Koala Boy is not my witness

Defeated Manila mayoralty candidate Lito Atienza denied yesterday any link with Koala Boy.

Speaking from Hong Kong, Atienza said he has his own whistle-blower, Ronilda Reluya, who personally witnessed the prefabrication of election results in Manila.

Reluya testified last week before the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms chaired by Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., which is conducting public hearings on alleged massive vote tampering in the May 10 elections.

Atienza said Locsin had already clarified the misimpression that he “seems to know” about Koala Boy whose video-taped testimony was played at a House hearing last week.

“All I know about this koala guy is what I read in the headline stories that came out the day before I met Congressman Locsin at the House hearing,” he said.

In an on-air discussion with Locsin on the radio program “Karambola” over dwIZ, Atienza said Locsin validated his recollection of their conversation at the sidelines of the House hearing last week, when they discussed with columnist Buddy Cunanan possible options to persuade Koala Boy to come out and disprove impressions that his expose was just a stunt to discredit the elections.

Reminded by Atienza that he only made suggestions on options for handling Koala Boy as a response to Locsin’s request for ideas on what security guarantees can be offered to the witness, Locsin agreed, saying, “That’s right.”

Atienza said during a casual talk with Locsin at the sidelines of last week’s hearing, Locsin suggested to Cunanan to convince the whistle-blower to appear before the committee without a mask and tell all he knows.

However, Cunanan suggested that Koala Boy could only do that if he would be assured of protection by the House, he added.

Atienza said Locsin then asked for suggestions and he proposed that Koala Boy seek the help of authorities, or Locsin could call Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales.

However, Locsin indicated he could not do that as he had been critical of Gonzales in his radio program, he added.

Erap urges Koala Boy to identify himself

Former President Joseph Estrada dared Koala Boy yesterday to reveal his identity to the public and back up his allegations with evidence.

Margaux Salcedo, Estrada’s spokesperson, said the masked man should substantiate his claims that the May 10 elections were manipulated.

“We are appealing to this masked man to reveal his identity because until he does, even if his claims might have some merit, he fails to have any credibility so his allegations are extremely diminished,” she said.

Salcedo also expressed concern for Estrada’s vice presidential running mate, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

“These allegations affect the credibility of the entire automated electoral process,” she said.

“If he can substantiate his claims, sure, he has the potential of saving the country from incorrect canvassing of votes and should come out now.

“But otherwise, he just committed slander against (leading vice presidential contender) Mayor Binay.

“It is not fair for him to throw serious accusations while hiding his identity.”

Palace: Keep presidential proclamation on schedule

Malacañang again asked Congress yesterday to keep on track the schedule of the proclamation of the winning president and vice president.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said the House of Representatives’ probe into alleged electoral fraud, as well as the allegations of Koala Boy, has no clear answers about the issues raised.

“It does not shed light (on the issues raised),” he said.

“There’s a lot of heat being generated so far but not a lot of light. Where is this going?”

Olivar said the congressional investigation must not be allowed to affect the canvassing of votes and the proclamation of the winning president and vice-president.

“Hopefully, as the inquiry progresses, if this will be continued by the probers, we hope that some actual light would be shed and not just heat in the discussions,” he said.

Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said the allegations of electoral fraud have no value as long as no proof is presented.

“Let us not so easily believe and headline unsubstantiated allegations,” he said.

“The media and the public must be very careful in assessing charges. We must not allow chatter to tarnish our elections and turn our country into the land of Fakes Believed.”

Defense Secretary Gonzales was a no-show at yesterday’s week-long celebration of the United Nations Peacekeepers Day.

Concerned over his absence to welcome members of the diplomatic corps who trooped to the Department of National Defense at Camp Aguinaldo, Gonzales’s staff tried to reach him through his cell phone but failed. – With Eva Visperas, Jose Rodel Clapano, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Alexis Romero, Marvin Sy, Sheila Crisostomo, Jaime Laude