This was disclosed last night at a TV talk show by Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, flag officer in command of the Philippine Navy who was also the former head of the five-man fact finding team, who assured the public that the conduct of the probe was done in a fair and orderly manner based on existing AFP rules and regulations.

"The board carried out its task to the best of its abilities with acceptable standards and proper procedures, inviting 70 individuals lending credibility to the fact finding process," Mayuga, a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1974, said.

But he immediately emphasized that the board was not a forum that will determine the culpability of the senior police officers accused of involvement in election anomalies, adding that the testimonies of the resources speakers were "only narration of facts."

Among those accused were Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr.; AFP Southern Command chief Major General Gabriel Habacon; retired Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko, former Southcom chief; and retired Marine Brigadier General Francisco Gudani.

In a guest appearance at the Tinig ng Bayan television talk show at NBN-4, Mayuga also vouched for the credibility of the 70 resources speakers who volunteered their knowledge on the participation of the military men deployed in Mindanao.

Dubbed as the "Mayuga Report," the results of the fact-finding process that was contained in a 15-page document submitted to President Arroyo last month was the result of a six-month process after the four senior military officers along with other AFP personalities were implicated in the controversial "Hello Garci" tapes.

AFP chief of staff General Generoso Senga, who made a pre-taped appearance at the Tinig ng Bayan talk show, said he issued a directive earlier to Mayuga to inform the AFP and the public on the report "with due consideration on defense and national security and without exposing AFP personnel to unwarranted danger and injury in accordance with Memorandum Circular Number 78 Series of 1964; Letter of Instruction Number 1420 Series of 1984; the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 6713; and other applicable rules and regulations."

Based on Senga’s order, Mayuga said that he could not disclose other sensitive details of the results of the fact-finding process so as not to expose the personalities involved in the investigation process to serious danger, adding that the document was marked "Secret" and only declassified matters were allowed to be revealed to the citizenry.

As a result, observers said the report seemed to raise more questions than answers.

Nonetheless, Mayuga said that based on their findings, they were able to formulate measures that would eventually insulate the AFP and its personnel from partisan political manipulation.

He said that more than 300 military personnel were deputized by the Comelec for election duties during the May 2004 elections and were trained for poll duties; military camps were also used as canvassing places in sensitive areas; and that military personnel served as security detail for Comelec officials who were assigned in critical places in Mindanao.

In view of the results of the fact finding team, Mayuga said, his team recommended to the AFP chief of staff the following corrective actions that will prevent the use of the military for political purposes.

Among them are:

Reassess the use of military personnel as members of the board of election inspectors and clustering of precincts.

To study the utilization of military camps in the canvassing of votes.Deputization by names.

Formulation of policies regarding AFP participation on electoral process.

"The report of the fact finding team will pass the litmus test on credibility and professionalism on the conduct of the investigation," Mayuga emphasized, adding that he is willing to stake his military career on the integrity of the process.