Manipulations in Maguindanao

THE resignation of Commissioner Rene Sarmiento as head of Task Force Maguindanao — the investigative panel tasked to “ferret out the truth” in the province’s midterm elections — comes as another blow to an already embattled Commission on Elections (Comelec). Observers say his resignation severely undermined whatever semblance of credibility the poll body has.

Sarmiento, the commissioner in charge of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said his failing health forced him to step down. But in what may be the first time in his career as a public servant, nobody seems to believe Sarmiento, who is regarded by many as the most credible commissioner in the poll body.

The move was ill-timed, and speculations on the “real reason” are rife: Sarmiento was eased out so that the cheats could cover up for the anomalies in Maguindanao; the political pressure to keep him quiet on the Maguindanao situation proved too much for the commissioner; or that it was Sarmiento’s way of saying that he refuses to be used as a deodorizer for the poll body.

Last week, the Comelec had to defer the canvassing of the certificate of canvass of Maguindanao following allegations of massive poll fraud in the province. The results, with 213,191 votes at stake, could largely affect the outcome of the senatorial race.

Earlier results showed a 12-0 victory for the administration-backed Team Unity (TU) in Maguindanao, with Luis “Chavit” Singson leading the race. Even Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. figured in the controversy, after promising P1 million to each of the province’s 22 mayors who could deliver a 12-0 win for TU.

On election day, the voter-turnout in Maguindanao was so high no municipality had a turnout of less than 90 percent. In Datu Unsay, out of the 10,172 registered voters, only 22 were unable to cast their votes. In Datu Anggal Midtimbang, only 63 were unable to show up at the polling precincts out of the 5,275 registered voters. (Interestingly, the bearer of this news was Lintang Bedol, provincial election supervisor for Maguindanao; he is also among the elections officials closely watched by Bantay Boto for possible poll cheating. Bedol’s name was mentioned several times in the 2004 Garci tapes.)

Other accounts of fraud and election-related violence marred the elections.

For instance, Eid Kabalu, spokesperson of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said “there was no actual conduct of elections in many parts of Maguindanao.” There was also this whistleblower who told GMANews.tv that teachers were asked to write the names of TU candidates on the ballots and pupils were asked to affix their thumb marks.

Moreover, members of the media and volunteers of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) were not allowed to enter the capitol in Shariff Aguak town where the canvassing was held. Namfrel was likewise not given copies of the election returns.

Reelectionist senator Panfilo Lacson also reported that he was approached by poll operators in Maguindanao “selling” a slot on the top 14 for P4 million. Lacson said that slots one to 13 were “sold out.”

Genuine Opposition senatorial candidate Aquilino Pimentel III even filed a petition before the Comelec, seeking to nullify the Maguindanao canvass.

“The results of the election in Maguindanao are so drenched with intrigues and of electoral fraud that any act even tending to recognize the same may permanently stain the electoral process,” he said in the complaint.

He stressed that the senatorial elections in the province were a sham, and that the actual results of the elections may never be known.

See a copy of the petition here.

All these accounts prompted the Comelec to form an investigative team to look into alleged anomalies. Sarmiento was tasked to head the panel, but he resigned before the probe team could even be constituted.

Maguindanao, along with Shariff Kabunsuan, had in fact been identified by Bantay Boto as “areas of cheating,” or areas where “massive fraud will be committed.” And the reason may just have something to do with the numbers.

For one, Maguindanao had a different composition in 2004.

In the previous elections, Maguindanao had 334,287 registered voters, 27 municipalities, and 481 barangays. This year, the province has 213,191 registered voters, 22 municipalities, and 316 barangays.

This is because a new province — Shariff Kabunsuan — was created on October 28, 2006. Shariff Kabunsuan was created through a plebiscite that invoked the powers of the Expanded ARMM law (RA 9054), earning the distinction of being the first province in the country not created by Congress.

Except for Northern Kabuntulan, a new municipality, 10 of the 11 municipalities that comprise Shariff Kabunsuan came from Maguindanao, namely: Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura and Upi.

Shariff Kabunsuan has 198,330 registered voters. If we add this figure to the 213,191 Maguindanao voters — since the voters of Shariff Kabunsuan came from Maguindanao — the total would be 411,521. This means an additional 77,234 new registrants from the 2004 figure, or 23.10 percent increase in the number of registered voters.

All six provinces in ARMM registered unusually high increases in the number of registered voters. Lanao del Sur (44 percent) and the combined figures for Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan provinces (23.10 percent) posted the highest increases.

Source: Commission on Elections, PCIJ Research

*new municipality, 7 barangays come from Talayan and Talitay
**new municipality, 8 barangays come from Buluan
***new municipality, 8 barangays come from Buluan