Archbishop Cruz Bares Witnesses of Poll Fraud

MANILA, May 20, 2010-Outspoken Archbishop Oscar Cruz said he has witnesses to prove that results of the May 10 national elections were manipulated.

Cruz said a former commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) already told him before that poll fraud plotters are out to rig the country first automated polls.

That official, he said, gave him a list of areas where the alleged cheating will be operated for his "reference".

"And it's true... it really happened here and there," said Cruz, retired archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan.

The prelate also said he has another witness who knows the "operators and consolidators" of the poll fraud.

For him, who gained or did not benefit from the cheating is beside the point. Cruz said he wanted the issue to be known in public soon "to correct the mistake" of the automated polls.

"I want these cheating (operations) to be known not to favor one candidate or to discredit victory of another one," the archbishop clarified. "It is correcting the mistakes of the first automation."

Cruz also questioned the delay of the canvassing of the remaining 10 percent of the total votes from 76, 475 clustered precincts.

"I'm just wondering why until now the transmission is not yet completed. I can't understand it," said Cruz.

The canvassing being conducted by Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting was nailed at around 90 percent since last Friday amidst a closed battle in the vice presidential race.

PPCRV's latest tally showed that Liberal Party bet Senator Manuel Roxas is currently fighting tooth and nail with Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino who is leading by around 800,000 votes.

Presumptive president-elect Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino got about 42 percent of the votes in this year's presidential election.

The poll body has already completed this week the proclamation of the 12 winning candidates in the senatorial race.

On Tuesday, a whistleblower alleged that he was part of the vote padding and shaving operations during the recently-concluded elections.

The whistleblower, a masked man who appeared only on video to media, said that the votes of presidential bets Gilbert Teodoro, Eddie Villanueva, and Joseph Estrada were shaved in favor of Aquino.

But Cruz and even some candidates who lost in the elections did not seem to be buying the witness' statement entirely.

The video of the whistleblower was released by columnist Buddy Cunanan during a forum in Manila organized by Catholic Church-based media organizations.

"Naming names is not fair... and there's a political angle," said Cruz who was also present during the forum.

"The one who brought the compact disc was not among those who were really invited (as guests). They were invited by somebody else, that's what happened," he added. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)