Erap, Lim camps swap raps

MANILA, Philippines - The camps of re-electionist Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and his rival, former President Joseph Estrada, accused the other side of cheating, harassment and fraud as voters cast their ballots yesterday.

Estrada alleged that Ronald Lim, reportedly one of the mayor’s sons, harassed the supporters and poll watchers of the United Nationalist Alliance at the Rosauro Almario Elementary School in District 1 and forced them to leave.

“Roland Lim is a son of Mayor Lim. All those who are harassing our supporters are men of Lim,” Estrada said in a telephone interview with The STAR.

Estrada’s running mate, re-electionist Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, accused city social welfare office head Jay dela Fuente of pointing his gun at one of their supporters.

Estrada also said that in P. Guevarra Elementary School in District 3, a ballot that had been “pre-shaded” with Lim as mayor was reportedly given to a voter. At the same school, a precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine allegedly did not accept ballots in favor of Estrada and Moreno, according to the vice mayor.

Estrada said his lawyers are studying the filing of appropriate charges against Lim and his supporters.

‘Massive vote-buying’

Lim’s chief of staff, Ric de Guzman, accused Estrada’s camp of buying votes, harassing the mayor’s supporters, bringing in flying voters and distributing tampered ballots.

He said they have received reports of “massive vote-buying” by Estrada’s camp in Isla Puting Bato, Delpan, Happyland, Baseco and Parola, all in Tondo, as early as Saturday night. These areas are known to be Lim’s bailiwicks, De Guzman said.

Yesterday morning, men clad in Erap-Isko shirts – led by a man identified only as “Bomber” – allegedly tried to block known Lim supporters from voting at the Juan Luna Elementary School, De Guzman said, adding that the men stopped only when a representative from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting questioned their actions.

He also said there were reports that flying voters from Calauan, Laguna and Barangay Gaya-Gaya in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan were brought to Bacood, Sta. Mesa in jeepneys plying the Paco-Rotonda and San Juan-Divisoria routes.

He said there were also alleged irregularities that favored their opponents’ camp in certain precincts, such as the case of a teacher who reportedly handed a senior citizen with a pre-shaded ballot.