The Ombudsman skirted a potential crisis by technically complying with the Supreme Court’s demand -and throwing one Comelec commissioner, Resurreccion Borra, potentially to the wolves (potentially because he could, and even should, be impeached, which is different from saying that the House will impeach him). But the other Comelec commissioners, including the Chairman, Benjamin Abalos, are still under investigation, while some smaller fry and people from the private sector face dismissal or charges.
Will the Supreme Court accept this pseudo-Solomonic solution? For now, it seems the Ombudsman dodged a bullet.
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Ombudsman recommends impeachment to house of representatives.
The house of representatives can do that a long time ago if they wanted to. the move of the ombudsman ay para sabihin that she did her part.
Ay salamat mnay gagawin din pala ang ombudsman ,akala ko wala na eh.
What about as a follow up, actionan naman nya yung mga tapos na imbestigahan ng house at senado na pinasa sa kanya para naman di mag mukhang tanga ang congress sa mga investigations nila.
Isn’t Borra the commissioner who testified before the Senate Committee on National Defense last April 3?
Wasn’t he the one w ho said there was “massive cheating in some areas” ?
Should it surprise us that, of the three remaining signatories to the automation contract, Barcelona and Abolos being the other two, Borra was the one Merceditas Gutierrez chose to hang?
Wasn’t that Merceditas Gutierrez the acting justice secretary during the 2004 election and wasn’t she the same merceditas who threatened to sue ABC TV because it was conducting an independent vote tally that showed different results from that of the Comelec and Namfrel?
Didn’t Gloria appoint her Presidential legal adviser before appointing her Ombudsman?
Just wondering…..
Today is a sad day indeed. Many COMELEC employees were stunned by the news. Commissioner Borra is a well-respected and almost universally liked figure in the COMELEC having literally risen from the ranks, without even a whisper of a scandal ever being attached to his name. Many in the COMELEC are certain that the charges will not stick, considering Borra’s reputation for integrity and for insisting that all who work for him or with him – the COMELEC en banc included – likewise strictly abide by the law at all times. Personally, I hope this conventional wisdom turns out right, and that Borra be exonerated in due time.
Oops hindi pala pumirma si Barcelona.Here is the list – The Comelec Commissioners who signed the contract with Mega Pacific e-Solutions Inc. are Commissioners Benjamin Abalos Sr., Mehol Sadain (retired), Rufino Javier (retired), Ralph Lantion (retired), Luzviminda Tancangco (retired), Florentino Tuason Jr. and Resurreccion Borra.
Well that still leaves Abalos. I wonder why he was not included by Gutierrez?
You’re absolutely right regarding Borra, manuelbuencamino.
I’m not saying he isn’t culpable for the computerization scam, but the Garci tapes suggests that he was NOT in on Garcillano’s vote-rigging operation. Now Gloria’s ombudsman throws him to the dogs. Cruel irony.
In the following conversation from the tapes, Garci warns one of his operators in Cotabato (a certain Atty. Wynne Asdala) not to reveal to Borra a plan to switch COCs and SOVs to favor Barbers, the administration senatorial candidate personally backed by Mike Arroyo. “Baka masira ka, eh.” says Garci.
Conversation between Gary (V. Garcillano) and Atty. Asdala (believed to be Atty. Wynne Asdala) on 06 12:03 hotel June ’04
Garcillano: Hello.
Atty. Asdala: Good morning Commissioner. Atty. Asdala.
Garcillano: Nasaan ka?
Atty. Asdala: Cotabato. Supposed to be mag-convene kami kahapon (garbled). Pero Commissioner, ito
nga ang problema ko, yung sa kay Teng ba. Kay Teng Mangudadatu. May kwan kasi dito, may pahabol
si Barbers. Ang ginawa nila, itong Talitay tsaka Columbio, gusto nilang magsubmit ng bagong COC at
tsaka SOV para mahabol yung si Barbers.
Garcillano: Wala na.
Atty. Asdala: Sabi ko sa kanila hindi kako problema si Commissioner Garcillano pero nakita ko kay
Borra, iba kasi si Borra, walang isip itong kwan nya, baka imbes na kwan baka ipitin pa ako.
Garcillano: Huwag na, anyway, nagtabot na, nag-usap na kami.
Atty. Asdala: Kasi kako, pag walang blessing ng commissioner.
Garcillano: Baka masira ka eh.
Atty. Asdala: Oo.
Garcillano: O wala na?
Atty. Asdala: Sige Commissioner, ganun na lang, sabihin ko na lang. Thank you, thank you.
Garcillano: Ok ok.
if i remember correctly, commissioner borra appeared before the senate a few months back. when asked about the people’s initiative of SnB, borra said the process of signature verification would take more than 6 months to do which was why a July 2006 deadline would be impossible to meet. he also affirmed that legal issues pose serious obstacles to comelec action on any petition for a people’s initiative. i don’t know him personally but based on his answers in that hearing, comm. borra sounded like he knew his stuff, and was sincere in upholding the professionalism of the comelec.
ano na kaya ang nangyari sa report ng Field Investigation Office ng ombudsman? …inuulit ko lang ang dati ko nang naitanong.
bakit kaya hindi na nababanggit sina Maria Olivia Roxas at Victor Fernandez?
…kaunting pagsaliksik ukol sa anomalya ay naibigay na rin dito.
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it appears Resurreccion is going to be the first one to be erased. how about losing Benjamin Sr. too?
incidentally, mlq3, congratulations…manila rotary club’s opinion writer of the year.
He’s the only one who had the balls to admit cheating did occur during the 2004 elections. Obviously, he will be made a “showcase” for the Ombudsman who up to now has not gone after Joc-joc Bolante or Iggy Arroyo. I agree with Toots, he seems professional, we all know what happens to professionals who serve in the government. They usually find themselves out of work or haunted by trumped up charges.
right you are, toots. in the COMELEC, Borra is nicknamed the institutional memory precisely because he knew his stuff. Borra is also known as a straight shooter who doesn’t suffer incompetence or malfeasance lightly.
renmin, cruel indeed.
I can’t understand the idea of a “piece meal” solution to the whole Problem. Only “Borra” this time, and by the time they started on him, all the rest may; have move to another position in the government; may already retired somewhere outside the country; or may have gotten rid of all the evidence, by whatever “means” to those with Plenty of Resources, are available.
A few years back, the Liberal Party Government of then PM Jean Chretien was rocked with corruption scandal, which is very rare occurrence in this country, of such magnitude. Instead of tackling the Problem “piece meal” the PM of the day called a “no- holds-barred” judicial enquiry headed by Justice Gomery to dig deep into the scandal.. It took almost a year of hearing and after all the lying, denials, accusation and counter charges, The Enquiry came up with a report that was worthy of a great detective novel. It summarized the people involved and their role, and even gave the account of how the money and favours were passed through the complex methodology of the ‘criminal minds’ who thought they can outsmart the taxpayers..And now where are they? some are in jail..others faded into obscurity..and most retired in disgrace..
i am with you on this schumey.
http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/98/0508/cs3.html
Refresher :Borra was the Comelc official who dared say that their was dagdag-bawas in the elections.
Zooming in from the link above….
“Even in more democratic times, vote tampering is all too common, or all too often suspected. Resurreccion Borra recently stated that the 1992 and 1995 elections were tainted by fraud. Specifically he said that at the precinct level figures were “manufactured” or returns switched. For many the only surprise about the revelation was its source. Borra is executive director of the official Commission on Elections (Comelec). This was the first time that a poll administrator publicly admitted the practice of taking votes from one candidate and giving them to another (called dagdag-bawas, or increase-decrease). “
Looks like another boo-boo by this administration. Targeting Borra for lynching will boomerang. The public knows Borra well enough to know why he instead of Abalos is being set up. Borra is a bit too independent for Gloria’s comfort.
why should you cry over BORRA? He signed that damn flawed document so he should be man enough to answer. We should go by documentary and factual standards ..we should not stop shouting until all of those who signed should be subjected to justice including yungmakapal na abalos at tangcangco. And if the ombudsman is so so in her quest of justice she should be impeached too. THere should only be one STANDARD and it should not be adjusted to match your political emotion
Very inconsistent stand of the ombudsman. So many signatories, why single only one? Para lang di na siya pag-initan ng SC?
jon, that’s what we call a “Justice Selectivo”. A selective justice that solve nothing but instead cause more divisiveness among us. Just imagine, Criminal One Got the Ire, Criminal two is laughing all the way to the bank; criminal three waiting in line; criminal four already dead. some closures indeed..
Idiots. F****’n idiots. I’ll only get personal just this once, because I know Borra’s oldest son, and from what I know of his family, he’s the last person anybody should crucify on the Comelec. They should give him a f***ing medal. I always had my doubts about the new powers that be at the Ombudsman’s office, but this just proves my suspicions.
When they do manage to get Borra’s head on a pike, it’s time to start the funeral for Philippine democracy.
COMELEC Reforms are what we are asking for. GMA & Co. are giving us Borra’s head instead. Why not Abalos and Garci to start with?
juan,
gloria’s head will do just fine.
mb, let’s get the crown off from her head first so that the Constitution prevails,
Ombudsman as Palace Hit man is hitting 4 birds with one stone:
1)Impeach-Borra to substitute/out-center stage impeach-GMA
2)Alibi for derailed COMELEC reform in time for 2007
3)Potential for No-El on 2007
4)Neutralize an uncooperative Commissioner
MLQ3, One Voice, As I had posted June 22, anticipating the Ombudsman’s recommendation:
Can COMELEC reform? Yes, it can. But, will it? Based on your post, most probably not, if we assume that reform depends on COMELEC alone.
“With a professional, transparent consultative and criteria-based selection process for commissioners still not in place, electoral reform advocates want no less than Benjamin Abalos Sr. out of the Comelec,â€Â
Who then should initiate reform and how?
How about a People’s Initiative for Electoral Reforms:
In preparation for the 2007 election, the people hereby take the initiative and consider the following:
1) The present COMELEC is/will be under investigation by the OMBUDSMAN as per SC ruling.
2) Abalos etal will not resign.
3) Preparation for a credible 2007 election must be on going, on-track and in-place on time.
4) Forming a new Commission, at this point, has become a must priority.
Recommend a bullet amendment that would:
1) Abolish the present COMELEC to form a new body,
2) Change the process of appointments to the commission,
3) Remove from COMELEC jurisdiction over election protests,
Get involved,
1) Petition our congressional representatives to support the “Change the COMELEC Amendmentâ€Â,
2) Warn our congressional representative that his stand on this amendment and the impeachment will be the bases of our vote in the 2007 election,
3) Draft and support alternative candidates to replace unresponsive and irresponsible congressional representatives,
A PEOPLE’S RESOLUTION Calling upon Congress to pass an amendment replacing the present COMELEC with a new Commission:
WHEREAS, we, the people, have totally lost the trust and confidence on the present members of the Commission on Elections; and,
WHEREAS, we, the people, desire and demand that electoral reforms be undertaken by a new set of Commissioners; and,
WHEREAS, we, the people hold dear our rights and shall protect our votes; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that, we, the people, in whom sovereign power resides, calls upon Congress to pass an amendment that would replace the COMELEC with a new Commission on Elections and Electoral Reforms.