Fake COMELEC memo confuses Kalinga folks

TABUK, Kalinga – A Commission on Elections “memorandum” telling Provincial Election Supervisor Ricardo Lampac that Comelec Resolution No. 7911 approving the substitution of slain gubernatorial candidate Rommel Diasen by his wife Floydelia was found to be fake.

Copies of the memorandum dated May 12, 2007 were being distributed by children at polling places here when the polling started.

When shown a copy, Lampac and lawyer Julius Torres of the Special Task Force Kalinga which is tasked to implement the declaration placing Kalinga under Comelec control, said they could not tell right away if it was authentic.

This prompted them to call the main Comelec office in Manila and Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos to determine if it was genuine.

It was only at about 1:10 p.m. when Lampac found out from the Comelec office in Manila that it did not issue such memorandum.

The supposed memorandum declared that Resolution No. 7911 was fake and that “Resolution 7905 issued by the Commission on 10 May 2007 denies in due course the certificate of candidacy of Floydelia Diasen for having been filed out of time, stands and should be given full force and effect.”

Lampac said he will ask the assistance of the policemen to arrest those involved in the dissemination of the fake memorandum.