MANILA, Philippines - Two witnesses presented yesterday at the Pasay City court by the lawyer of Lintang Bedol, former provincial election officer of Maguindanao, claimed that the star witness of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the electoral sabotage case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the brains in the tampering of election results in Maguindanao in 2007.
Saliao Amba and Magsaysay Mohamad, former election officers of Mamasapanu and Sultan sa Baronguis, respectively, in Maguindanao province, testified during yesterday’s bail hearing at the Pasay Regional Trial Court that former Maguindanao provincial administrator Norie Unas headed the manufacturing and distribution of fake and tampered election documents that were submitted to the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City after the elections.
Unas had earlier denied involvement in the massive cheating during the May 2007 midterm polls in Maguindanao.
Under cross-examination by defense lawyers in the bail hearings before Judge Jesus Mupas, Unas admitted that he provided logistical support to election officers to ensure the victory of Team Unity bets.
Unas was the lone witness presented by the Comelec against Arroyo, now a Pampanga congresswoman, and her co-accused Bedol and former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr.
Unas had testified that he heard Arroyo give orders to Ampatuan to ensure a 12-0 victory for the administration senatorial candidates belonging to Team Unity.
Under direct examination of Bedol’s lawyer Reynaldo Princesa, Amba and Mohamad, who earlier swore before the Holy Koran, said that after the distribution of the fake election returns they were directed to go to the provincial capitol to fill up blank ballots in favor of Team Unity senatorial candidates.
“Unas who was the little governor (of Maguindanao) provided the code that we wrote on the blank ballots,” Saliao said.
He said they were not able to defy the order of Unas because he was the little governor with fully armed men at his disposal.
“We do not want to die so we follow the orders of Unas,” he said.
Saliao said the manufactured ballots and election returns were submitted to the NBOC and were the basis of the proclamation of some senatorial candidates after the election.
He said aside from the logistical support given by Unas, they were also given a total of P40,000 each for their efforts to rig the result of the election.
For Sultan sa Baronguis with at least 8,000 registered voters, Mohammad said the tally he submitted had more than 10,000 votes for administration candidates.
Defense lawyers had earlier branded as hearsay the testimony of Unas that Arroyo ordered Ampatuan and Bedol to change election results to ensure a 12-0 victory for Team Unity.
Unas had also admitted in his earlier testimony that his fear of being implicated in the electoral fraud case in Maguindanao compelled him to come out and testify in the electoral sabotage case filed against Ampatuan, Arroyo and Bedol.
When asked what made him decide to come out, Unas admitted that he decided to be a state witness for the Comelec after Bedol and several election officers of Maguindanao had implicated him in the cheating in Maguindanao during the 2007 senatorial elections.
Lawyers and allies of Arroyo insisted that so far there was no strong evidence against the former president.
Opposition Rep. Orlando Fua of Siquijor told ABS-CBN that no credible witness has yet linked the former president to the election sabotage.
He said those who testified are government officers who were allegedly influenced through bribes or even promises of promotion.
“Justice must prevail. If there is no evidence, by all means legally and constitutionally she must be provisionally released,” he said. “We are dealing with justice and justice cannot be compromised.”