Politics, now and then...

'Garci' men take custody of ERs from 13 Lanao Sur towns
By Aries Rufo
05/29/2007 | 11:56 AM

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k: Deviating from standard procedure, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ove
r the weekend took in its custody the election returns from the 13 towns in Lan
ao del Sur that held special elections last May 26. This was meant to secure th
e documents from partisan activity.

But there's a hitch: some members of the task force who were assigned to retrie
ve the documents were said to be the same election officials involved in the al
leged tampering of votes in the 2004 presidential polls.

The election returns (ERs) from the 13 municipalities that held special electio
ns last May 26 are now in the custody of the Comelec's Special Action Group (SA
G) that was formed to oversee the conduct of last Saturday's polls.

This came as a result of a directive from Rene Sarmiento, the Comelec commissio
ner in charge of the special elections in the province. Saying that the move wa
s meant to protect the documents from manipulation, Sarmiento ordered Rosalinda
Baliquig, acting provincial treasurer, to surrender the ERs to the SAG.

Sarmiento issued the directive Sunday but Newsbreak gathered that Jubiel Surmie
da, a division chief at the Comelec's law department in Manila and member of th
e SAG, attempted to secure the accountable forms as early as Saturday night.

This created âa little controversy," Baliquig told Newsbreak, as Surmieda moved
without written authorization from Sarmiento. Senior Comelec officials describ
e Surmieda as part of the âinner circle" of disgraced former Commissioner Virgi
lio âGarci" Garcillano.

Based on standard procedure, the provincial treasurer is the appointed custodia
n of the ballots, ERs and certificate of canvass (COC). From the provincial tre
asurer, the ballots and ERs are given to the municipal treasurers, who then dis
tribute these to the Board of Election Inspectors an hour before voting.

The COCs, on the other hand, are turned over to the board of canvassers before
the canvass begins.

Not the First Time

On Sunday, without written authorization, SAG member Renault Macarambon was abl
e to gather some ERs from the provincial capitol by having the municipal treasu
rers sign a document stating that the accountable forms had been turned over to
him. Macarambon is also a known associate of Garcillano.

It was only around 1 p.m of Sunday, May 27, that Teofisto Elnas Jr., a member o
f SAG, was able to present to Balaquig the directive signed by Sarmiento, which
ordered the acting provincial treasurer to surrender the remaining ERs to the
SAG. Elnas told Newsbreak that they wanted to secure the ERs to prevent any pos
sible manipulation by unscrupulous people.

A Comelec senior official said it was not the first time that the poll body dev
iated from a standard election procedure. To preserve the integrity of poll doc
uments, the poll body used to do this in previous elections in the troubled Aut
onomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Sought for comment, Sarmiento confirmed that he issued the directive on the ERs
as advised by the SAG, which is headed by deputy executive for operations Jose
Tolentino Jr.

The Comelec commissioner said that the SAG recommended that they secure the ERs
considering the âspecial" situation in Lanao del Sur. (SAG head Tolentino was
the Comelec's technical adviser in the botched poll modernization program. He w
as among those investigated--but not charged--in the multibillion-peso MegaPaci
fic deal which has been dismissed by the Ombudsman.)

Sarmiento acknowledged that he was not aware that some of the SAG members are c
lose associates of Garcillano, tagged as the mastermind in the alleged manipula
tion of votes in the 2004 elections to favor President Arroyo.

Hello, Garci

Renault Macarambon, one of the SAG members, was among the Comelec officials who
se name was mentioned in the âHello, Garci" tape. The wiretapped conversations
showed Garcillano coordinating moves with his trusted men to fabricate election
results in Mindanao provinces.

In his conversation with a certain "Danny" on May 25, 2004, Garcillano named on
e "Lou Macarambon" as the one who would take care of the remaining election res
ults in Lanao del Sur purportedly to ensure the victory of then senatorial cand
idate Robert Barbers. âMananalo siya talaga. Nandun si Lou Macarambon eh. Pabab
antayan ko (He will really win there. Lou Macarambon is there. I will make him
ensure it).

Comelec sources identified this âLou Macarambon" as Renault Macarambon, who was
then the vice-chair of the Lanao del Sur board of canvassers. (Although consid
ered an opposition country, President Arroyo got 128,301 votes versus Fernando
Poe's measly 43,302 in Lanao del Sur during the 2004 polls. Incidentally, the c
hair of the Lanao del Sur provincial board of canvassers at that time was Rey S
umalipao, who is now on "floating status" as regional elections director in ARM
M.)

After the 2004 elections, Macarambon was promoted as chief of the Comelec's Ele
ctions and Barangay Affairs Department.

Dispelling suggestions that the integrity of the documents now with SAG has bee
n compromised, Sarmiento said he gave a verbal order to secure the ERs as early
as last Saturday, which could explain the eagerness of some SAG members to get
the ERs that night.

He said the SAG members may have acted with dispatch that day even before he co
uld write down his directive.

Sarmiento said the ERs are properly accounted for and are being kept at the Com
elec's monitoring office inside the Marawi Resort Hotel.

Told that the integrity of some of the SAG members is being doubted because of
their alleged involvement in cheating in the 2004 elections, Sarmiento said he
was not aware of this. He said the SAG members have been helpful in helping him
supervise the special elections in Lanao del Sur.

And even if some Comelec officials were involved in past irregularities, Sarmie
nto said, âThere is always redemption." - Newsbreak
Next: Lacson: Bets asked to pay P4M *********
Fr: Salina

This is how the cheat works!!!

Amen, Lean! And let me add...

More than 24 years ago when I left UP Diliman, politics was indeed the "life" o
f student gatherings on Campus and somehwere else around Metro Manila (and shou
ld still be the same). But with today's Philippine political climate, I kind of
compare it to Sadam Hussien's regime, where those who disagree with him and hi
s policies, disappears, and critics silenced for good. GMA's access to military
and police prove that she's the "Commander-in-Chief" and manipulate them to he
r advantage- and not to serve the people.

None of these politicians, current and soon-to-be proclaimed, run on specific p
latform/s. They invested their millions knowing that their self-interests will
be served once they're in office. Only REAL CHANGE has to happen in people's he
art and determination to get rid of these so-called "public servants". Forcing
them to step down- yes, all three branches, including the military and local go
vernment- and hold them accountable for their immoral activities so we, the peo
ple, can steer the country for a better future.

GMA kinalampag sa 34 bibitaying OFW's

(Michelle Arroyo)

Kasama ang nagdadalamhating mga kaanak ng mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)
na nasa death row ngayon sa ibaât ibang bansa, kinalampag kahapon ng grupong Mi
grante ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) at ang pamahalaang Arroyo para s
a kagyat na pagpapalaya sa 34 OFWs na pawang mga nahaharap sa parusang kamataya
n.

"For innocent OFWs unjustly imprisoned abroad, each minute spent in jail is one
too many. For those already sentenced to death, the days in prison are particu
larly harrowing. Itâs imperative that the DFA, particularly Secretary (Alberto)
Romulo and President Arroyo prioritize their immediate release and repatriatio
n," giit ni Connie Bragas-Regalado, chairperson ng Migrante International.

Tiyempo rin ang pagtapik sa gobyerno ng grupo at ng mga kaanak hinggil dito upa
ng maisip din umano kahit paano ni Arroyo sa kanyang mga state visits ngayon sa
ibaât ibang bansa ang pagtutok sa distressed OFWs hindi lamang sa paglagda sa
kaliwaât-kanang kasunduan o treaties.

Partikular na umapela kahapon ang pamilya ng mga nasa death row na sina Marilou
Ranario at Don Don Lanuza.
*********
Salina

what make you think Gloria Arroyo, Care if they're going to hang these OFW.
wala na kayong silbi sa kanya kasi hindi na kayo naka padala ng pera sa philip
pines.

Oposisyon kinantiyawan sa impeach 3

(Rose Miranda)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Maagang nangantiyaw kahapon ang Malacañang sa political opposition dahil sa na
pipinto umanong pagkatalo ng mga ito na maisulong ang ikatlong impeachment comp
laint laban kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo bunsod ng pagkopo ng administ
rasyon sa mayorya sa Kamara.

Sa panayam ng himpilang dzMM, sinabi ni Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita na b
ase sa tantiya umano nila ay 20 lamang ang mga miyembro ng oposisyon sa Kamara
kung kaya hindi na umano sila magtataka kung muling maibasura ang third impeach
ment try laban sa chief executive dahil tiyak aniya na hindi na naman makakakal
ap ang mga ito nang kinakailangang 2/3 o 73 boto upang umakyat ang reklamo sa S
enado.

"I think, sorry guys, stare with us on the eyes. Kitang-kita na kakaunti ang nu
mero o ang bilang ng kung anoman ang maghahain ng impeachment case. Nobody can
stop them from doing that but still as of now makikita natin ang bilang. This i
s a numbersâ game. Again, itâs just being realistic," ani Ermita.

Ito aniya ang dahilan kung bakit hindi sila masyadong dismayado kahit na posibl
eng kakaunti lamang ang mga senatorial bets ng Team Unity (TU) na makapasok sa
top 12 dahil batid umano nila na nakuha na nila ang suporta ng buong Kamara.

Itinanggi naman kahapon ng Palasyo ang insinuwasyong gimik lamang ang pag-aagaw
an nina House Speaker Jose De Venecia ng Lakas party at Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia
ng Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) upang matiyak na hindi makakapuwesto
ang sinumang taga-oposisyon sa liderato ng Kamara.

Ayon kay Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio, hahayaan ni
la na maresolba ng Kampi ang problema sa pamamagitan ng caucus.
*************
Salina

This is not the kind of people we need in the office. Just read what this
idiots Ermita was saying. About the 3rd impeachment. That they have number's.

Oh, Yeah! can you beat the number's of filipino people who voted for the opposi
tion? We may not have gun's, Tanks, But we can always use something else. Walan
ghiya! Mayabang. This is one of the reason why the Philippines could never move
forward because of this idiot like him. The filipino people deserve better. uv
erhaul the entire corrupt gov't.
So that the Philippines can move forward.

Now, here comes election time and the adminstration is calling for national uni
ty and reconciliation. I believe that it is true in its very essence that we ne
ed unity and reconciliation, that we need to stop all this political bickering
and all for our country to move on. However, I think it is ironic for a governm
ent to call for unity and reconciliation if its instruments for peace, i.e. the
military and police, are primarily the cause of disunity. How many activists,
students, priests, lawyers, women have been killed allegedly by the military?
***********
Salina

How can they even ask for the people to unite behind them when they're t
he one breaking the law; As you say, The people who suppose to protect and serv
e the filipino people the one killing the filipino people.

SANA GANITO DIN SA ELEKSYONâ¦â¦ RESULTS ARE RELEASED IN ONE DAY AFTER THE ELECT
IONâ¦..

Exam Results
Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination Results

Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Page: 1
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 1,406 out of 4,654
passed the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination given by the Board
of Accountancy in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, I
loilo and Legazpi this May 2007.

The results were released in one (1) day after the last day of examination.

SANA GANITO DIN SA ELEKSYONâ¦â¦ RESULTS ARE RELEASED IN ONE DAY AFTER THE ELECT
IONâ¦..

Walang mangyayari sa politika sa Pilipinas hanggat meron tayon COMELEC na hindi
lumalagay sa Nuetral.Katulad ni Abalos, yung nakaraang special election sa Min
danao, kitang kita na niya sa GMA 7 TV ang mga violations na nangyayari, ang sa
sabihin niya sa iyo, Eh Wala Namang Nagrereklamo. Kapag ganyan ang katwiran niy
a, ang mga Pilipino hindi makapaghahalal ng tamang lider.Kaya wala tayong kapup
untahan, papalubog tayo ng papalubog, iwang iwan na tayo ng Vietnam.

To Salina:
Can you please stick with the topic? Kung saan saan galing mga pinepaste mo eh
or better gumawa ka ng sarili mong topic, i find you annoying sa tulad kong mam
babasa. I know that you only voicing out your opinion like everybody does pero
OA ka na...Kung ako sayo magtatagalog na lang ako.
Peace Out!This is only my observation, matalo pikon :D

The root cause of most of our political and social ills is the ECONOMY!!!

Name me one problem that you all have been whining about which a $20,000 GNP ca
n not solve or minimize.

When we had the strongest economy in Asia (ex Japan), a golden arinola was alre
ady a big scandal.

When the economy is strong, wages are high and people have so alled "principles
." When majority are employed and compensated justly, crime rate and corruption
naturally go down. People can afford to pay higher transport fees so we get ma
ss transit alternatives, well maintained and disciplined public transport syste
m, etc, etc....

Ordinary people could then afford to donate money to principled and competent s
tatesmen and principled political parties. Government could also afford to reim
burse qualified candidates/parties for election expenses so our politicians do
not have to dip into pork barrels and suck up to business and vested interest g
roups.

So please:

1. Do not tell me the Filipino character is flawed.

2. Quit whining and wasting your energies barking at wrong trees.

A SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH is the only way out of our current woes.

The political atmosphere right now is created by none less than the 1987 Philip
pine Constitution. The majority is âpoliticizedâ in a sense that everyone is br
agging to express his opinion here as ârighteous opinionâ and should be followe
d as a law (although Iâm a little bit exaggerating here). Nevertheless, what yo
ung opinion bloggers and voters had not realized is the fact that we are the on
ly country in Southeast Asia that has a Presidential form of government in a mu
lti-party system. Thatâs why we cannot elect a majority President, many like to
be President (including some of the bloggers here), and many are party hoppers
, like Lacson, just to be President.
If we want reforms, start with the fundamental law of the land. If Presidential
form then two-party system, but if Parliamentary, multi-party. Not half-way. G
ugulo talaga.

Lean
Donât be misled with some historians making past heroes to be ideal. Although m
ost of them had sacrificed themselves and their families for the sake of the co
untry, many also had motives that were self-serving. Read as many history books
as you can. Donât be biased in making past Filipinos to be righteous. Many of
the ills at present are similar with the past ills of their time. Filipino atti
tude in the past persists until today, only sublimated.
Neither a change to Communism will solve the problem. You just donât know what
âs happening within the ranks of CPP-NPA. Why do they many factions right now?
Reforms start with the individual, not with the government. Study hard, finish
college, post-graduate if possible. Think outside the âboxâ. Start helping your
self before helping others otherwise, you canât be a help either.

wanda
To Salina:
Can you please stick with the topic? Kung saan saan galing mga pinepaste mo eh
or better gumawa ka ng sarili mong topic, i find you annoying sa tulad kong mam
babasa. I know that you only voicing out your opinion like everybody does pero
OA ka naâ¦Kung ako sayo magtatagalog na lang ako.
Peace Out!This is only my observation, matalo pikon
***********
Salina

Wanda: What I paste here is none of your business if you don't want to rea
d it. Nobody forcing you. What I paste here is something I would like to make c
omment on it. Not atleast you don't know how to read. Its and everyone of us ha
ve every right to post in this blog.
And its too bad you don't like my english either. sorry! Wanda: I write whateve
r I feel to write. If you don't like reading my posting please don't read it. G
o to the next post. As simple as that. Tuloy ang ligaya!

Root causes of our Social and Political ills are our poor economy, corruption,
and abuse of power.

It saddens me to read about Philippine politics. It seems like our leaders are
more focused on lengthening their stay and getting more out of the people rathe
r than coming up with policies that would help improve our way of life. There i
s so much greed and corruption that the victims (we, the people) are led furthe
r into poverty and despair. The few officials that we have who started with a g
oal to improve our politics are now tainted with the same greed and corruption
they so abhor. What's gonna happen next? I kind of agree with bisayang tate's c
omparison with saddam hussein. Our people are being abused and manipulated and
whoever has the guts to stand up for his rights gets silenced. Where is freedom
and democracy when the people we chose to protect and defend us are the ones g
uilty of violating our rights?

Lean, keep up that fire my boy. If there is anything that UP taught me, it is s
eeing how important that fire is in me in all of the things that I do.

From the Metrocom days, to facing General Tadiar, to seeing Erap off, up until
today - love for country still kindles.

My advise to you though is to keep up with the issues. Many of my peers still h
ave that "makibaka" mentality. Leave that with the younger ones as you grow old
er because by then, you will be equipped with more substantial contributions to
our society.

Your generation gives hope in breaking this cleptocracy and corruption as a way
of life.

To: MBM

Please stop your sacrilege against that reverred institution UP by citing your
accomplishments. You said, '....from Metrocom days, to facing Gen. Tadiar, to s
eeing off Erap--up until today......'. From the frying pan, straight to the fir
e, done in the name of what you thought is love of country. My goodness, Sir.
You delivered your beloved country down, down, down, and deeper into the innerm
ost sanctum of the sink hole.

To: MBM

Please stop your sacrilege against that reverred institution UP by citing your
negative accomplishments. You said 'From Metrocom days, to facing Gen. Tadiar,
to seeing Erap off, up until today......'. From the frying pan straight into th
e fire, done in what you think is your love for your country. What do you think
, Sir, have you got to show for it? You delivered your beloved country down, do
wn, down, and deeper into the innermost labyrinth of the sink hole.

clean english man elephant speed boat girl man greed

Loved the review I thought the same I cannot challenge it in anyway. Have you g
ot a list of your current review for me to read? I have also created some revi
ews for you to read on my blog...

Interesting...

A good read