What are your thoughts on allegations of poll fraud against Bukidnon Senator Miguel Zubiri?
BUKIDNON ONLINE | BUKIDNON | COMMENTARY | MORE CONTROVERSIAL NEWS – So we want to know: What are your thoughts, opinions, reactions etc on these allegations of poll fraud or cheating during the 2007 elections against former Bukidnon congressman now Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri? We would like as many opinions as possible please!
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Bukidnon Online is also printing below the press release we obtained from the Office of Senator Migs Zubiri. We are also trying to contact Atty. Koko Pimentel. So keep an eye on this blog post!
Below: Senator Miguel Zubiri reveals in a press conference in the Senate today that he was also a victim of massive cheating and syndicated election operations in Metro Manila and Mega Manila during the 2007 senatorial elections. He also reiterated that the votes from Maguindanao had been set aside in the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s recount and maintained that he did not ask anyone to operate in his favor when he ran and won as senator in 2007.
Now for the press statement delivered by the senator earlier today:
Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri today presented to the media documents showing massive cheating and syndicated election operations in precincts level in Metro Manila during the 2007 elections.
“So far ang na revised na naming precincts sa aking counter protest ay 44, 333 as of July 8 2011 on my 75% counter protest. The number of votes deducted from Pimentel as of July 8, 2011 have been 53,490. This has been confirmed by the SET through our revisors and their revisors, so iyan po ang sinasabi nating mga sindikatong gumalaw nuong 2007 elections kung saan precinct level po ang kanilang dayaan. These are the actual findings hindi po iyan gawa-gawa lang namin or figment of our imagination,” Zubiri said adding that: “the total ballots objected is 157, 913. Broken down as follows: ballots written by one or two persons ay 142,449 – iyan po ay kino-contest namin dito sa aking 75%, halata pong maraming lugar sa nabuksan namin dito sa Metro Manila na halatang isang kamay lang po ang ginamit para isulat itong mga balotang ito. Dito naman sa fake or marked spurious ballots ang lumalabas po ay 15, 464 ang aming nahanap pa at hindi pa tapos ang bilangan dito sa Metro Manila.”
Number of Votes Deducted
from Pimentel
as of July 8, 2011
53, 490
Zubiri also added that: “So this is the most harmful findings that we had discovered in my counter protest. Empty ballot boxes are found and broken down in the following areas: Caloocan (31), Mandaluyong (118), Marikina, Malabon, Paranaque (Total 41), Pasig (209), partial of Manila (hindi pa tapos ang Manila, so far 29 pa lamang), Baliwag (25), San Jose Del Monte Bulacan (68), Sta. Maria (37), Norzagaray, San Miguel, Guiguinto (Total 57), Hagonoy (106), San Ildefonso (37), Pandi, San Rafael, Marilao (total 48), Malolos (124)….so marami pong nawalang boto dito at hindi na natin maveverify at itong lugar na mga ito ay opposition po ang nanalo rito at hindi na po natin maverify kung talagang iyun ang actual count.”
In summary, Zubiri’s total contested ballots are 157,913. The total votes deducted from Koko from the actual count of the ballot boxes are 53,490 with the total vote claimed at 211,000 votes for Migz Zubiri.
Total Contested Ballots: 157,913
Votes deducted from Koko: +53,490
211,403
Total Vote Claim of Migz
With still around 8,000 precincts left to be revised
with an estimate of 1.6 Million Ballots
left to be revised.
The senator added that: “mayroon po tayong eight thousand precincts na naiiwan with about 1.6M votes to be revised, so malaki pa. Ang hinihingi ko po sa ating SET at sa ating mga kababayan ay tapusin ko lang po ang pagbibilang lalong lalo na sa Metro Manila at Mega Manila para malaman natin kung gaano kalaki ang nawalang boto sa akin at gaano ka grabe ang paggalaw ng sindikato dito sa Metro Manila. Also, considering the 913 ballot boxes found to be empty or containing destroyed ballots with at least 186,000 votes.”
Zubiri also appealed that investigation should not be limited to Maguindanao only “but let us consider the votes from other parts of the country, including Metro Manila and Mega Manila.”
“Let us not limit to Maguidanao, bakit nanaman ang aking mga kababayan sa Mindanao ay palaging tinitignan at sinasabing mandaraya, i’d like to correct that impression that if there were syndicates it did not operate in Mindanao alone, it operated all throughout the Philippines,” he noted.
“I’d like to reiterate, I did not cheat in the 2007 elections. I will never cheat in any elections alam po ng ating mga kababayan sa Bukidnon iyan, pwede po nating tanungin ang ating kababayan diyan, hindi naman po sa pagyayabang na nanalo po ako diyan ng 95 percent of the votes in every election since 1998 at wala pong nagko-complain ng cheating, electioneering or whatever form of electoral sabotage. Hindi po gawain ng aking pamilya iyan at never po naming gagawin, kaya kung meron man gumalaw at tayo po ay naging beneficiary niyan then parusahan itong mga taong ito. I’d like to put for the record, itong Maguindanao votes, kinoncede na po namin iyan last year pa. Hindi na po namin binibilang ang Maguindanao sa equation dahil hindi ko naman po gustong tumanggap ng boto na galing sa pandaraya at hindi po tayo papayag diyan,” Zubiri emphasized.
Zubiri also pointed out that he himself pushed hard for automated elections during the Senate deliberations that led to the passage of the law.
“Nuong Majority Floor Leader ako that time I pushed for the automation in 2010, we pushed for the budget. Maraming tumutol dito sa Senado particular ang tatay ni Atty. Koko Pimentel, he was against automation, he voted against the automation law. Ang importante ay huwag na po tayong bumalik sa mano-manong election at huwag nang bigyan ng pagkakataon itong mga sindikatong gumalaw muli dahil napakasakit para sa mga biktima tulad namin ni Koko Pimentel. So we request the public to be fair to both sides, bigyan natin ang SET ng sapat na panahon para tapusin itong pagbibilang ng ballots,” he said.
