Abalos offers self as witness in 2007 poll fraud

MANILA, Philippines - Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos, implicated in the 2007 election fraud, offered himself yesterday to be a prosecution witness against an election officer facing election sabotage charges at the Pasay City regional trial court (RTC).

In a manifestation filed at Pasay City RTC branch 114, Abalos through his lawyers said he is offering his testimony as witness of the People of the Philippines against lawyer Lilian Radam, former chairman of the South Cotabato board of canvassers, who is facing 11 counts of election sabotage filed by the Comelec.

Radam had recently surfaced at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and executed an affidavit implicating Abalos in the cheating. The DOJ has placed Radam under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

WPP program director Martin Meñez has already informed the court that Radam is now under their custody and may be presented in court anytime.

Lawyers of Abalos, however, said he would testify against Radam as he is qualified to be a prosecution witness in the election sabotage case.

“He is a material witness for the plaintiff because he has personal knowledge about the facts in the instant criminal case since it was during his incumbency as chairman of the Comelec that the acts complained of were committed,” the manifestation said.

It also said that it was during his incumbency as Comelec chairman that the Comelec relieved Radam as provincial election supervisor of South Cotabato as well as initiated an investigation against the accused for committing an election offense.

Ferdinand Rafanan, head of the Comelec law department, filed 11 counts of electoral sabotage against Radam last February.

The complaint alleged that on May 24, 2007 during the national canvassing of votes for senators in the May 14 election, Radam willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously increased the votes of certain senatorial candidates by tampering and falsifying the Provincial Certificate of Canvass of votes in the city of General Santos and the towns of Polomolok, Tampakan, Tupi, Banga, Koronadal, Norala, Sto. Niño, Surrallah and Tantangan.

The allegedly tampered election results were submitted to the National Board of Canvassers that was then canvassing the election results at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

The Comelec legal department also certified in the complaint that a preliminary investigation in the case was conducted and Radam was informed of the complaint and the evidence submitted therein against her.

“That she (Radam) was given the opportunity to adduce controverting evidence for her defense and that on the basis of the evidence submitted, there is a reasonable ground to believe that the election offense charge has been committed and that the accused is probably guilty thereof,” the complaint said.