Case filed against Dalog over ‘fraud, vote buying’

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Amid protests, alleged incidents of fraud, terrorism and vote buying set grounds for a disqualification case filed by congressional candidate Jupiter Dominguez against proclaimed Congressman-Elect Maximo Dalog Sr. May 17 at the Commission on Elections central office in Manila.

This, as a resolution was circulated by concerned residents, church and nongovernment groups “condemning in the strongest possible terms massive vote buying, use of illegal firearms in the political exercise, terrorism, electoral cheating and other violations of election laws, rules and regulations” in Mountain Province.

It alleged these were “perpetuated” by Dalog, his supporters and henchmen.

The resolution called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to conduct an honest, speedy and full-blown investigation of said offenses.

Dalog garnered 24, 724 votes while Dominguez got 23,973 votes in counting of remaining votes from Barlig and contested precincts of Bunot, Paracelis.

Violations of the Omnibus Election Code on vote buying, coercion, and terrorism were noted in the petition filed by Dominguez with the Commission on Elections.

Affidavits of witnesses were noted on separate incidents of reported vote buying in Sabangan containing envelopes bearing the name and picture of Dalog plus a P500 cash.

Another witness in Natonin reportedly testified that he was given P25, 000 and instructed to distribute P1, 000 per household in favor of votes for Dalog.

Dominguez in his petition said the inducer to a criminal act should be held responsible for acts of persons directly doing the offense.

Earlier, a PCOS machine at Apalis precinct in Paracelis with a voting population of 148 was burned.

A report from Mountain Province police director Supt. Fortunato Albas said “efforts are being exerted to validate intelligence reports disclosing that Clarence Dalog, one of the sons of Gov. Maximo Dalog was implicated in the burning of the PCOS machine.”

Albas said “in the absence of incriminating pieces of evidence which could pinpoint the real orchestrator of the crime, it is not farfetched that greed for political power is the most probable motive behind the crime. In as much as the political contest is very close for the contending parties, one resorts to violence in order to ensure his success no matter how wicked the results may impose on the part of the victims.

Meantime a precinct at Addang, Bunot, Paracelis with a total voting population of 656 was met with heated commotion among the lined up voters which eventually led to the closing of the polling precinct at 4 pm as claimed by witnesses.

A total of 160 voters were not able to vote in this precinct which led some local candidates to press for failure of elections in said precinxt and call for special elections.

Addang’s Board of Election Inspector Franklin Dulawon during the deliberations before the Municipal Board of Canvassers and Comelec officials said the polling place closed at 7:49 pm.

There are five precincts of Bunot- Apalis, Ma-ababnot, Addang, Pilac and Ampekla.

One of the candidates from Paracelis questioned why he registered a zero vote in Ma-ababnot precinct when in fact he comes from said place.

Albas noted that Barangay Bunot which lies near the province of Kalinga is “considered as one of the deciding factors in situations where rivalry between opposing candidates is very close considering that the people in the area have very strong family ties where the principle of one for all for one is being practiced. If it is applied in politics, the candidate of one is the candidate of all.”

In the same development, a lawyer said that a disqualification case when filed after the proclamation of a candidate shall be dismissed as a disqualification case but the case shall be referred to the law department of the Comelec for preliminary investigation and if evidence of guilt is found to be strong, shall be eventually pursued at the Regional Trial Court.