Pimentel: Abalos 'too late the hero'

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Aquilino Pimentel III belittled yesterday the offer of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos to become a prosecution witness in the election sabotage case filed by the poll body against a former chairman of the South Cotabato Board of Canvassers before the Pasay City regional trial court.

“Abalos is too late the hero. He wants to be a witness after he was named as mastermind (of poll fraud),” Pimentel said in a text message to The STAR.

He was reacting to the manifestation filed at the Pasay City RTC branch 114 by lawyers of Abalos.

Abalos said he is offering his testimony as witness of the People of the Philippines against Lilian Radam, who is facing 11 counts of election sabotage filed by the Comelec.

Radam had surfaced at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and executed an affidavit implicating Abalos in election fraud in the 2007 polls.

She has been placed in protective custody under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

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

Pimentel sees the possibility of filing two separate cases in Pasay City and Davao City where Abalos allegedly met Radam and other election officers who were instructed by the then Comelec chairman to rig the election results in South Cotabato.

Abalos claimed that he is a material witness because he has “personal knowledge about the facts of 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 poll body en banc relieved Radam as provincial election supervisor of South Cotabato and initiated an investigation against the poll supervisor for committing an election offense.

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said that the manifestation of Abalos might have already been overtaken by events as the Comelec is considering the withdrawal of the charges against Radam, who is being considered as a state witness in the election sabotage cases.

“The Comelec is studying the legal implications of the utilization of Radam as state witness because a warrant of arrest has been issued against her,” he said.

Brillantes said among the options being considered is to file a motion to withdraw the charges against Radam, considering that the DOJ and Comelec are now in the final stage of the fact-finding investigation on the 2004 and 2007 election fraud.

“We will file a motion with the court to hold in abeyance the proceedings pending the completion of fact finding investigation,” Brillantes said.