Who owns Smartmatic-TIM? (tags)
With barely two weeks left before the May 10 elections, the question, “Who owns Smartmatic-TIM?” keeps popping up in a lot of people’s minds. Suddenly, the prospect of an “electronic Garci” cheating operation is creating apprehension that the country is on the brink of another people power or martial law… or, God forbid, civil war! A few days ago, I got a call from a fellow Filipino-American journalist who said that a powerful man has the “source code” of the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) machines that will be used for the first time in May 10 elections. I followed the trail of the information and talked to a Filipino international lawyer who has done some research on the question of the “ownership” of Smartmatic-TIM. The following is his response:
BAD OMEN FOR THE ELECTIONS, Pimentel: Garci boys intact, promoted (tags)
PESANTE NEWS learned today through media sources in Manila that the “Garci” boys were never kicked out. They even got promoted. Garci Boys are the officials of the COMELEC involved in widespread cheating during elections in the Philippines. Elections Chair Jose Melo should fulfill his promise to “ground” officials implicated in rigging the 2004 and 2007 polls, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said Wednesday.
CBCP slams conduct of midterm elections (tags)
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) expressed dismay yesterday over the conduct of the May 14 midterm elections, saying the challenge of credible, honest, meaningful and peaceful polls remains. CBCP president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo lamented that “vote-buying and other anomalies have already become systematic and even cultural.” He said election watchdogs, including the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), said the problem no longer lies in the voters but the voting system itself and the irresponsibility of some election officials.
PHILIPPINES: Ghost of the fraudulent 2004 elections will haunt this year’s polls (tags)
As the opposition and the administration finalize their line-up, AKBAYAN (Citizens Action Party) warned voters of opportunists who would cover up the single most important issue in this year’s elections – the ‘Hello Garci ’ controversy.