Cheating in 2004 Elections


 

 

Gloria Arroyo's major Sin Against the Filipino

 

She stole the presidency by rigging the elections.

 

1. She made good use of all the government agencies including their officers and funds. The most famous operator was Virgilio 'Garci' Garcillano. Recordings of their conversations were made available to the public and one can deduce from them that Arroyo indeed was guilty of this sin.

 

The method used to cheat was "Dagdag-bawas": Votes for the opponent where shaved and added to hers. Also done was the manipulation and changing of the figures recorded in the Certificates of Canvas (i.e. if you recount the votes from ballots, they won't tally with what's in the Certificates of Canvas!).

 

2. Use of the military during the rigging. Some military men wanted to let their views be known, but they were sent to jail instead.

 

3. Another name made notorious in the 2004 elections was Jocjoc Bolante. He engineered the re-routing of fertilizer funds of the department of agriculture into Gloria Arroyo's election kitty. Until today, Jocjoc hasn't answered the persistent questions. He's languishing in an American jail for some time now. This issue will have its own page later.