Comelec confirms Maluso pre-shaded ballots discovery before area control - GMA Network

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) bared Friday that it already had a lead on the culprits behind the pre-shaded ballots found in Maluso, Basilan, emphasizing that the agency was already aware of the incident before placing the municipality under its direct control.

During the first parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) last Monday, Maluso and Cotabato City were placed under Comelec control after pre-shaded ballots were discovered in the former and violent incidents broke out in the latter.

“Ay, opo naman. Napakadali naman pong alamin. Sabi ko nga po sa inyo… always follow the money,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia replied when asked if the electoral body already has a lead on the discovered pre-shaded ballots.

(Yes, of course. It is very easy to find out. As I told you before... always follow the money.)

Garcia explained that tracking the origin of the ballots requires following the chain of custody—identifying who handled and transferred them to determine accountability.

“Gusto natin alamin bago ba ‘yan dapat i-distribute sa mga guro, bago nahuli, nakanino? Bago nadiskubre, sino may hawak? Sino may possession? Syempre kahit na hindi mo talaga hawak-hawak ‘yan pero legally ikaw ang may possession, eh di ikaw ang dapat managot,” Garcia added.

(We want to know: before they were supposed to be distributed to the teachers, before they were intercepted, who had the ballots? Before they were discovered, who was holding them? Who had possession? Of course, even if you weren't physically holding them, if you legally had possession, then you must be held accountable.)

As of Friday, the 36 boxes of pre-shaded ballots were placed directly under the custody of the law department.

Garcia said that the law department is set to issue formal notices directing several individuals to submit explanations as part of their comprehensive investigation into how, where, and by whom the act was carried out.

He noted that tampering with thousands of ballots could not be the work of a single person, pointing instead to a coordinated group effort.

“Hindi po puwedeng isang tao lang ang nag-tamper at nag-pre-shade ng 16,500 ballots. ‘Yan po ay isang grupo—marami po ‘yan. Therefore, saan ginawa pati ‘yon? Hindi puwedeng ‘yan ay ginawa mo lang ‘yan sa napakaliit na kwarto dahil nga 16,000 [ballots] ‘yon,” Garcia said.

(It is impossible for just one person to tamper with and pre-shade 16,500 ballots. This is carried out by a group. Therefore, where was it done? You couldn't have done that in a very small room, given that there were 16,000 ballots.)

Garcia recounted key observations that likely pointed to the prepositioning of the tampered ballots, including an incident where Comelec and Philippine National Police (PNP) officials were initially denied entry to an area.

“Saan ka nakakita ng election, isang araw bago mag-eleksyon, pumapasok ang provincial election supervisor ng Comelec kasama ang provincial director ng PNP at mga iba pang opisyal, ay hindi pinapapasok? Ay, mukha namang medyo may problema pa tayo doon,” Garcia said.

(Where in an election do you see—a day before the voting—the provincial election supervisor of Comelec entering alongside the PNP provincial director and other officials, aren't allowed in? Well, it looks like we clearly have a problem there.)

“Ano ang kadahilanan? Dahil ba sa hindi pa tapos ang ginagawa o dahil ba sa nandiyan na ‘yung ginawa at makikita? O dahil ba sa nagtakbuhan sila, ‘yung mga gumagawa, at sumakay sa likod ng lugar… at nagsakayan sa truck, ‘di ba?” he hinted.

(What was the reason? Was it because what they were doing wasn't finished, or because what they did was already there to be seen? Or was it because those who did it ran off to the back of the area... and piled into a truck, right?)

Garcia warned those involved that the commission was aware of the sequence of events even before declaring Maluso under Comelec control, adding that photo and video evidence had also surfaced online.

“So binibigyan ko na kayo ng idea na ibig sabihin, alam namin lahat ng nangyari kaya ‘wag na ‘wag silang basta-basta magsisinungaling dahil bago pa namin dinala ang mga andito at bago namin idineklara under Comelec control ‘yung area ay alam na namin ang mga nangyari,” Garcia said.

“At ang problema pa, may mga na-post na video eh at, in fact, may mga pictures pa,” he added.

(So I'm giving you an idea—meaning, we know everything that happened, so they shouldn't bother lying to us. Even before we brought these items here and before we declared the area under Comelec control, we already knew what took place. And what's worse, there are videos posted, and in fact, there are pictures as well.)

An area may be placed under Comelec control when there is intense political rivalry between or among Under Comelec control, the commission assumes direct command over local officials and law enforcement to manage intense political rivalries, security threats, or armed groups in the area.

Earlier reports indicated that 36 of the 86 precincts in Maluso were compromised by pre-shaded ballots.

The affected precincts had to wait for the delivery of newly printed and verified replacement ballots, prompting Comelec to extend voting in the area until Tuesday, September 15. —LDF, GMA News