MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima today hinted that former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo may be investigated for his possible involvement in the switching of election documents at the House of Representatives in 2005.
“He mentioned something about FG but as to whether he has personal knowledge, that is what we have to verify,” De Lima told reporters as she recalled her conversation with Special Action Force (SAF) official Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago.
De Lima said Santiago and five of his men, all active members of the SAF, have confessed to their involvement in the switching of election returns (ERs) at the House of Representatives building on January 2005, which was the height of allegations that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won the 2004 presidential election by cheating.
The justice secretary said that she will summon the former first gentleman if the police officers will name him in their sworn affidavit.
De Lima announced that she was expecting the six policemen to surface today and submit sworn affidavits about their knowledge on the ERs switching.
"They might surface today and they might face media today,” De Lima announced in a press briefing
She said that in exchange of the sworn-affidavits, the policemen are asking for the government’s protection.
She said that during an initial meeting with the policemen, Santiago also implicated former PNP chief and now Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane, former SAF director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco, election lawyer Roque Bello and his son Roel Bello.
De Lima said that according to Santiago, Ebdane and Franco instructed him to join in an operation to steal original ERs from the House of Representatives building and switch them with fake ones.
She said that according to Santiago, at least four break-ins happened in January 2005. She said that the break-ins happened during weekends.
Recalling Santiago’s story, De Lima said that the first break-in supposedly happened on January 23. From the headquarters of the SAF in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, the policemen went to the Batasan Pambansa Complex.
From there, they received an instruction to proceed to the house of Atty. Bello in Brookside, Cainta, Rizal.
“Sa pagpunta sa bahay in Cainta, they claimed to have seen five guys in civilian [clothes] and ikinarga iyong more or less 20 Marlboro boxes, allegedly naka-packing tape. They don’t know who these people are basta inilagay sa sasakyan nila at ibinalik nila sa Batasan,” De Lima said.
After bringing the boxes to the Batasan Pambansa complex, five more unidentified guys unloaded the boxes and replaced them with another set of boxes. The boxes from the congressional building were then brought back to the house of Bello, she added.
De Lima said that only during the third break-in that the policemen discovered they were stealing original ERs from the Batasan Pambansa Complex and transporting fake ERs from Bello’s house.
“On the third break-in, also in January, nalaman nila na election returns. Kuwento ng isa, nasa parking sila at naiinitan. May nakita sila sa mga kahon na medyo kupas na. So kinuha nila at sinilip. They wre surprised to know that these were election returns,” De Lima said.
De Lima said that the group gave her four samples of the stolen ERs from the Batasan Complex. She said that she showed the samples to Commission and Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes during a close-door meeting yesterday and both of them initially believe that the documents “were authentic.”
The ERs were from Mapun, Tawi-Tawi; Pangutaran, Sulu; Ozamis City and Misamis Occidental; and Magsaysay, Lanao del Norte.
She said that the group was able to “steal” a total of 50 original ERs during the last two break-ins. She said the policemen promised to turn over all of the recovered ERs to her.
FPJ, Susan Roces
De Lima said that the ERs stolen from the Batasan Pambansa Complex contained results of the 2004 presidential elections.
The justice secretary theorized that the ERs were stolen from the Batasan Pambansa Complex and switched with fake ones to complement the doctored results as indicated in the certificates of canvass of votes, which were the basis for the national canvassing.
She said that usually, the ERs are not reviewed during the national canvassing unless there is a compelling reason for them to be opened.
At the time of the break-ins, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s closest contender, Fernando Poe Jr., has a pending motion to review the ERs.
When Poe died, his camp filed a petition, seeking to declare his widow, actress Susan Roces, to be recognized as substitute candidate.
De Lima said that the election documents could have been stolen in anticipation of the Arroyo camp that Congress will be compelled to review the ERs.
De Lima, meanwhile, clarified that the evidence and claims of the policemen will still have to be validated by the Department of Justice and the Comelec.
She said that the documents and the sworn-affidavits that will be submitted by the policemen will be included in the joint investigation of the Comelec and the DOJ on the supposed massive cheating in the 2004 and 2007 elections.