Reporters receive phone cards from mayoralty bet

Many reporters covering the Commission on Elections (Comelec) received Globe prepaid cards worth P100 each yesterday, supposedly from Manila mayoralty bet Arnold "Ali" Atienza.

The cellular phone cards were contained in mail envelopes with the return address "Anak ng Maynila, Ali Atienza for Mayor Headquarters, Manila City Hall."

The envelopes were sent to the Comelec’s main office at Palacio del Gubernador in Intramuros, Manila.

This reporter was among those who received the card and a letter dated April 23, 2007 supposedly signed by Atienza.

In the letter, Atienza referred to recipients as his "kaibigan sa media (friends from the media)."

Atienza, however, denied mailing the envelops to media men. "These are dirty tricks being played by my dirty political rivals," he said.

The letter stated that the card was his way of thanking the reporters for their support for his father, outgoing Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

"Naniniwala akong ang suportang inyong ibinibigay sa aking ama, si Mayor Lito Atienza, ay ipagkakaloob din ninyo sa akin sakaling palarin maluklok bilang bagong mayor ng Maynila (I believe that you will support me in the same way that you supported my father, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, if I am elected as mayor of Manila)" the letter stated. "Tanggapin nyo ang tanda ng aking pakikipagkaibigan. (Receive this (cellphone card) as proof of my friendship.)"

The younger Atienza said they would conduct an investigation to trace the sender of the cellphone cards and letter.

There were also unconfirmed reports that the cellular cards were sent to the Manila Police District, the Comelec and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Asked to comment on the incident, Comelec Commissioner Resurrecion Borra said the poll body would look into the incident once they get a copy of the letter.

Borra also urged the media to observe caution in handling such incidents. "Political intrigues are very, very prevalent, sometimes amounting to character assassination and reputation destruction," he said. "We are also appealing to the parties not to engage in black propaganda or name-calling and use the Internet, mobile phones or fax to impute crime or wrongdoing to a candidate or opponent." – With Evelyn Macairan