Day: July 3, 2009

Marichu Maceda shared with members of media a “shocking” conversation with her eight-year old grandson, Max, to underscore how Gloria Arroyo’s cheating of the 2004 elections has destroyed our concept of elections as a tool for good governance and an expression of democracy.

Manay Ichu said Max asked her how to contact “Garci”, former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano because he wants him to transfer one million votes to his Lola Gina de Venecia, who will be running as representative for the fourth district of Pangasinan.

Aghast, Manay Ichu said she had to lecture Max on the evils of cheating and the punishment that comes with violating the law and displeasing God. Max, she said, was baffled and asked, “Why is Gloria Arroyo not punished?’

Manay Ichu said she is still looking for a satisfactory answer to Max. That’s why she was at the presscon yesterday organized by the Concerned Citizens Movement on the issues in the 2010 elections automation that has surfaced with the feud between Smartmatic and Total Information Management.

Manay Ichu detailed to the media how Arroyo tampered with the election process starting with the voters list up to elections results. But, she said, “What happened in 2004 is nothing compared to what is going to happen in 2010.”

Lawyer Harry Roque said the quarrel of Smartmatic-TIM, winners of the P7.2 billion election automation contract, has exposed the anomaly that there is no joint venture deal between them as they tried to impress the Comelec.

Roque said he doubts if the two firms would be able to solve their “irreconcilable differences.” He said Comelec should not force the two parties to push through with the joint venture,”Huwag pilitin. Kung ngayon pa lang nag-aaway, lalo pa kapag implementation na.”

There are different versions of the cause of break-up of Smartmatic and TIM before their union was even formalized. One version says TIM is asking for bigger control in the operation because in case something happens later, they would be included of those that would be held criminally liable. There are talks that TIM asked Smartmatic for additional P500 million share in the payment.

Another version is that a businessman known to be in the inner circle of the Arroyos is muzzling his way into the joint venture as a “carried partner”.

Malaya’s report said a “carried partner” is one who wants to get a piece of the action without contributing a single centavo.
Before the Smartmatic-TIM imbroglio, sources said Mike Arroyo, someone surnamed Aboitiz, and an official of Smartmatic were seen having coffee at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati.

After that meeting, TIM President Jose Mari M. Antunez reportedly got a call from a well-connected businessman for him “to cooperate” so as not to offend “powerful people.”

In yesterday’s presscon Harry Roque expressed concerned about the participation of 2Go, an Aboitiz-owned cargo forwarder, who has been given the contract to transport the 80,000 counting machines all over the country and keep on standby the 1,200 spare machines.

Roque recalled how Arroyo’s men took out the genuine 2004 election returns stored under guard in the Batasan Pambansa and changed them with manufactured ones to match the certificate of canvass they tampered in anticipation of the election protest of FPJ.

Roque said, whoever has custody of those machines determines the result of the 2010 elections. Given the branzenness of Arroyo’s operators, the 2010 elections could be worse than the fraudulent 2004 elections.

Grace Poe appealed to the public to be vigilant saying that it is not just elections that we are fighting for but the future of democracy in our country.