Charges filed against Akbay Pinoy for fake pro Cha-cha signatures

Lawyers Rene Saguisag Jr. and Abigail Binay announced yesterday that they are filing at least 20 counts of falsification of documents charges against the group Akbay Pinoy for allegedly forging the signatures of barangay officials, ordinary residents, and dead people for their signature drive.

Saguisag and Binay said majority of the signatures submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Makati City were forged to make it appear that the so-called people’s initiative proposing to amend the 1987 Constitution has the support of local residents.

They presented three residents to the media whose signatures were allegedly falsified by Akbay Pinoy.

Barangay Sta. Cruz Chairman Victor Prado and Kagawad (Councilor) Virginia Salengga said the signatures submitted to the Comelec were indeed falsified.

Salengga, whose deceased father served as a barangay chairman, said his father’s name was among those that made it to the list.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said many other signatures submitted to the Comelec for verification were falsified.

"Yung iba sa mga nakapirma patay na. (Some of those who signed their names were already dead)," he told newsmen in an interview, expressing confidence that the United Opposition will be able to prove how the so-called people’s initiative is "incredible."

He said 95 percent of the names in Akbay Pinoy’s list for Makati City were forged.

Akbay Pinoy Makati Chapter president Carmencita Tabamo and national president Adelaida Lazaro claimed that they have gathered a total of 29,542 signatures of the registered voters from the first legislative district of Makati.