Tancangco refutes Namfrel on impeachment rap issue

Embattled Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Luzviminda Tancangco belittled yesterday the plans of the National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) to file charges of impeachment against her for the alleged irregularities in the Precinct Mapping Project.

Tancangco said that the charges are not even a basis for impeachment.

She also claimed that even if such charges were true, it is not she but the Comelec’s Finance Services Department (FSD) that could be held liable on the charges made by Namfrel and the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kompil).

Namfrel and Kompil have yet to file the impeachment charges against Tancangco. The two organizations are still gathering at least 100 signatures from the 100 civil society organizations to back the impeachment charges.

"The project went through a process," said Tancangco, as she added that she does not feel threatened.

Tancangco and her staff, who were interviewed by a group of reporters, said the unfinished Precinct Mapping Project, with an estimated budget of P500 million, went through other staff of the FSD even before the poll commissioner signed any of the documents presented to her. About P300 million was spent in the project.

The lady commissioner said before she even signed by document, the project was thoroughly reviewed by the FSD.

Among the charges cited by Namfrel in their charge sheet is the unliquidated cash advances of P41 million by 93 nonbonded or contractual Comelec employees which Tancangco, the poll watchdog claimed, allegedly approved and signed.

On the other hand, Tancangco accused the Commission on Audit of conducting an audit even before the project was finished.

She said that the COA report is not even verified and that she was not given a chance to answer all the charges of Namfrel, which the poll watchdog based on the COA report.

"They (COA) already have a specific mind set," charged Tancangco. "They don’t even want me to finish the project."

She also said that she was not even furnished a copy of the COA report, although only Comelec Chairman Alfredo Benipayo was given one.

"I only knew about the charges made by Namfrel about two weeks ago," she said.

She also said that she did not admit to any of the charges, and that she asked her consultant on finance to study the charges of Namfrel and the COA report.

"It (Precinct Mapping) could have been finished had they not stop it," Tancangco said. – Sandy Araneta