June 5, 2007—Thousands of people from Iligan City and towns of Lanao del Norte joined prayer rallies protesting the results of the canvassing of three controversial ballot boxes from three towns in Lanao del Norte.
The ballot boxes were allegedly tampered with and showed that a congressional candidate who rated third in the National Movement for Free Election-Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (Namfrel-PPCRV) count now leads in the official tally after the contested ballot boxes were tabulated. PPCRV is Church-based election watch dog.
The Movement for Truth, Justice and Peace, led by Dr. Melchie Ambalong and with different sectors here including the clergy as members, marched towards the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office here June 5. The rally was intended to show their indignation over the Comelec's failure to proclaim a winning congressional candidate for Lanao del Norte's 1st district.
The Provincial Board of Canvassers had insisted on canvassing the allegedly tampered ballot boxes from the towns of Kauswagan, Bacolod, and Maigo in Lanao del Norte, which was described by the National Bureau of Investigation as having been forcibly opened.
In the canvassing of the allegedly tampered results of the Certificates of Canvass (COCs) from the three towns, congressional candidate and Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Dimaporo showed that she garnered a total of 26,213 votes.
However, when these were compared to the authenticated copies of the COCs in the possession of the Namfrel-PPCRV and Liberal Party , Dimaporo got only 8,253 votes.
The resentment march is intended to call the attention of the canvassers and the Comelec en banc to be fair in their admiration of the result of the election in the 1st district of Lanao del Norte. "We are not supporting any candidate but we are protecting the will and rights of the people," he said.