By EDMER F. PANESA
Opposition senatorial candidate Rep. Didagen Dilangalen has warned of massive poll fraud in Mindanao following the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) scrapping of its planned selective automation of the May 10 elections.
Dilangalen, who is running under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) led by actor Fernando Poe Jr., said the Comelec decision would result in election cheating in the South, particularly in Cotabato City and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The decision of the poll body was actually in compliance with an earlier ruling of the Supreme Court that nullified the
R1.3-billion automation contract between the Comelec and the private consortium Mega Pacific. The High Court had ruled the deal was anomalous.
Also, Dilangalen said the manual counting that the poll body will implement in Mindanao would be an opportunity for the administration to cheat its rivals.
"Dito papasok ang dagdag-bawas. Kung mano-mano ang gagawin, matagal ang bilangan. Aabutin ito ng ilang araw bago dumating sa municipal o city level ang mga boto,’’ Dilangalen said.
On the other hand, the Maguindanao solon said automated counting machines were proven effective during the 1996 ARMM elections because of quick count and there appeared to be no issue of poll fraud then.
