Friday, June 8, 2007

fortuitous event or Arson?

MABALACAT, Pampanga

Initial reports showed that the boxes containing the ballots were first delivered and deposited unguarded at the back of the local municipal building very near the police station earlier Wednesday. This was reportedly preparatory to their transfer for custody to Branch 59 of the Regional Trial Court in Angeles City on Thursday.

Supt. Melchor Reyes, town police chief, said fire struck a small room just beside the municipal health office about 3 a.m. The room contained about 700 ballot boxes, or majority of some 800 total ballot boxes used in the canvassing by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Reyes said his men were supposed to assist in the turning over of ballot boxes at a court in the City of San Fernando during office hours on Thursday.

The court is taking custody of the ballot boxes following the electoral protest filed by losing mayoralty candidate Anthony Dee. He lost by 750 votes against Mayor-elect Marino Boking Morales.

Reyes said the police have no hand in the guarding of the ballot boxes, adding that the three men assigned to look after them were being investigated by the police. He identified them as Tirso Mallari, Manny Paras and Germon Gerado, all of whom were reportedly working at the municipal maintenance department.

He added that paramount therefore in the pursuit of our election protest is the preservation of the election paraphernalia. If any tampering of the election returns would have given us cause to sound the alarm, so much so this fire that has all the elements of an intent that is not only political but patently criminal.

Even as we leave the police to their investigation, we ask our people, especially those in the other contested municipalities, to double their vigilance.

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