Tingog.com

I’ve made a timeline to help out our readers with regards to the Maguindanao election. It’s tentative at this point, since it may still need editing as well as the fact that the state of the Maguindanao Elections/Canvassing is still to be determined. This includes the fate of The Provincial Election Supervisor, Lintang Bedol. The most recent “shock” is that he lost the election documents.

May 16 – Reports come in of 12-0 Sweep in favor of TEAM Unity

May 17 – In the midst of the anomalous 12-0 Sweep and Chavit Singson leading in Maguindanao, Commissioner Florentino Tuason said it is premature to declare that the number of voters in Maguindanao had been bloated “unless we see the documents.” He vowed to scrutinize the certificate of canvass (COC) from the province of Maguindanao once it is received by the national board of canvassers (NBOC) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) where the canvassing of votes for senators is being held.

May 17 – Media not allowed to witness the canvassing at the provincial capitol (this is important, because later on, Bedol will even confirm this fact)

May 17 – Provincial Canvassing is said to be almost over, and that the voter turnout in Maguindanao is over 90%

May 18 – NAMFREL not given the sixth copy of the ERs

May 18 – Abalos is already aware of the anomalies at this point, but says: that the commission had not received official documents pertaining to the Maguindanao elections and to assume reports that Team Unity had won 12-0 would be presumptuous. “What are we talking about if the documents are not yet here? What will the Comelec use as basis?” he said. “We don’t rely on field reports, we have to have the documents. We don’t canvass reports by verbal report, only certificates of canvass,” he added. On allegations that no actual elections were held in Maguindanao, Abalos said it is “hearsay” if nobody would come out in the open and validate that claim, which the Comelec would then use as basis to conduct an investigation. “We have not received any report. Public documents are not presented or brought, so it is presumed that there was a regular election in the province,” he said.

May 19 – A female whistleblower comes out on radio (radio dzBB) and says teachers filled in the blanks, and pupils put in their thumb marks to “manufacture” the 12-0 sweep of the senatorial race by administration Team Unity candidates in Maguindanao. (link)

May 19 – NAMFREL excludes Maguindanao in quick count because they have not received their copy of the ERs and that no one was allowed to observe the Canvassing at the Provincial Capitol

May 19 – Sarmiento orders Regional Director Rey Sumalipao to give copies of the ERs to NAMFREL, : “Pursuant to the General Instruction for the Board of Election Inspectors on the casting and counting of votes and the General Instruction for the Municipal/City provincial and District Boards of canvassers on the casting and counting of votes for the May 14, 2007 elections, the citizen’s arm NAMFREL, must be furnished copies of both the Certificate of Canvass and the Election Returns for the purpose of conducting an unofficial quick count.”

May 20 - Administration and Comelec start a media offensive with regards to the fraud, and ask for “proof” (No emphasis on securing the area, the witnesses, and the documents)

May 21 – Comelec forms Task Force Maguindanao to be headed by Commissioner Rene Sarmiento. TF Maguindanao wil look into allegations of electoral fraud in Maguindanao province that reputedly gave the Team Unity senatorial slate a 12-0 win. The investigation, Abalos said, would start next week after the Comelec en banc, which now sits as the National Board of Canvassers,

May 22 – PPCRV, Lente meet with Comelec on fraud probe, Members of the Parish Pastoral Council on Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) went to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) for the meeting. Radio dzBB said they were to discuss how PPCRV and Lente can help the Comelec’s Task Force Maguindanao look into the 12-0 “victory” of administration senatorial candidates in Maguindanao.

May 22 – Comelec defers canvassing in Maguindanao COC until (Friday May 25 ), after they learn that Lintang Bedol was not the one who brought the COCs to Manila, he orders Lintang Bedol to be present on May 25

May 22 – Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos said a team would be dispatched to Maguindanao to check on the fraud allegations. ‘The credibility of the commission has been put at stake,’ he told reporters. ‘That’s why we are conducting an investigation.’ (I haven’t heard anything back with regards to this investigation)

May 23 – As early as this day, Lente calls on Comelec to “… do precautionary measures to ensure the integrity and safety of the documents, the ballot boxes and all other possible evidences,” Medina said. (link)

May 24 – Maguindanao BEI executes affidavit: In a press statement, the group said that Maguindanao Board of Election Inspector, Faizal Kalantungan, has executed an affidavit attesting to the fact that 190 ERs and 38 ballot boxes remain uncanvassed in Pagalungan, Maguindanao. (link)

May 25 – Comelec officials had to insist that Bedol appear in person. “When he was finally here on the 25th, he said he had copies (of the certificates and statements of votes ) in his office. But he could not even tell the commissioners when asked, when the canvassing in Maguindanao was terminated,” says a source. That information is part of the minutes of canvass. (link)

May 25 – Maguindanao Provincial Certificate of Canvass (PCOC) was opened for tallying, canvassing was again deferred when Abalos notices numerous candidates with zero votes. Lintang Bedol also admits that no opposition representatives were present during the provincial canvassing. Canvassing rescheduled for Wednesday May 30 (5 more days of foot dragging)

May 25 – It is found that 19 of 37 Candidates for Senator received zero votes, and Chavit Singson indeed is number 1 in the province

May 25 – Abalos orders all parties to produce municipal statement of votes

May 27 – Municipal Election Officers and other officers, summoned to Comelec to appear for an investigation

May 28 - After heading the contoversial Lanao del Sur Special Elections, Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, citing fatigue, resigns from Task Force Maguindanao. Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer replaces him as the new head of the Task Force.

May 28 – Lintang Bedol was ordered to appear before the National Board of Canvassers on this day, but he doesn’t show up, and is “missing”.

May 28 – [According to Newsbreak] Lintang Bedol tells Municiapl Election Officers to hand him the election documents, among the documents that Bedol asked the election officers to turn over to him “for safekeeping” were the copies for the Municipal Board of Canvassers, which municipal Comelec officers were supposed to keep for records purposes, and other election paraphernalia.

May 29 – [According to Lintang Bedol] documents that were kept in Lintang Bedol’s office in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, were lost on this day

May 30 – Four witnesses come out, allege that 100 poll execs ‘kidnapped’, forced to back TU. (link)

May 30 – Maguindanao Officials, including Lintang Bedol, does not show up to the PICC where National Canvassing is taking place. They were supposed to present the statement of votes by precincts, the municipal certificates of canvass, the election returns and the minutes of canvass and other related election documents. These would help resolve the controversy over the alleged massive fraud in the province, and the contention that no actual elections took place in several municipalities.

May 30 – Chairman Abalos sets up a Speciall Board of Canvassers (SBOC) for Maguindanao to “Re-canvass” (link)

May 31 – Comelec orders three election supervisors to be put on Immigration Watchlist, the “missing” provincial poll supervisors were identified as lawyers Lintang Bedol of Maguindanao, Lilian Radam of South Cotabato and Yogie Martirizar of North Cotabato.

June 1 – Lintang Bedol is seen at The Comelec Building, denies he is hiding, but still does not go to the PICC where he is supposed to go, and where national canvassing is being held

June 4 - SBOC resets canvassing until Wednesday, June 6, because they still don’t have any documents to canvass

June 6 – the Comelec en banc issued an order requiring proclaimed officials in Maguindanao to present evidence proving that elections were indeed held in the province. The order also includes Lintang Bedol to finally show himself in front of the National Board of Canvassers by Monday (June 11)

June 6 – Chairman Benjamin Abalos tells reporters that Comelec will declare failure of elections in Maguindanao

June 7 – Lintang Bedol, in a surprise interview over radio station DZMM, said that despite ignoring legal summons, and his whereabouts being unknown, he was NOT in hiding.

June 8 – Chairman Abalos issues warns that Bedol will be arrested if he doesn’t show up by Monday (June 11)

June 9 – Musa Dimasidsing Shot Dead in N. Cotabato

June 11 – Lintang Bedol finaly shows up in front of Comelec, and says that the election documents were lost

June 12 – Task Force formed to probe the murder of Musa Dimasidsing

June 15 – Comelec does not declare a failure of election because they say that local leaders have indeed been proclaimed already. Lintang Bedol once again does not show up, missing once again. But local officials that were supposed to go in front of Comelec also didn’t make it to the hearing.

June 15 – Abalos declares that because Comelec cannot afford the plane tickets of around 66 local officials to go to Manila, that The Comelec will instead go to Maguindanao on Monday to retrieve election documents that may be used for Canvassing of The Maguindanao Votes