The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on Thursday welcomed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision to punish Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol, saying the poll body should also do the same with the other “Garci Boys”.

PPCRV Chairperson Henrietta de Villa said that the Comelec should also go after other field election officials for their role in the alleged poll result manipulations in the 2007 elections.

“I’m sure there are others like him and we will leave it to the Comelec to act on,” she said.

The country’s former Ambassador to the Vatican even expressed willingness in helping the commission in the task by providing them information since their group was the citizens’ arm of the Comelec during the elections.

De Villa viewed the Comelec move as a welcome development for the May 10 polls.

“It also augurs very well as it shows that the Comelec is now showing that they want to do a straight count in this year’s elections,” she said.

De Villa is already looking forward to the announced re-shuffling of Comelec field personnel for the upcoming polls.

“I think it’s best that there will be a reshuffle. We’re not saying that all those that will be reshuffled are guilty. It’s just that it’s in the Filipino nature that when you are close with someone sometimes you lose your objectivity,” she said. (Leslie Ann Aquino)