TWO members of the House of Representatives on Monday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) Corp. to explain the reported discrepancies between the actual votes on the physical ballot and the voters’ printed receipt during the overseas absentee voting (OAV) in Hong Kong.
“The Comelec and Smartmatic should explain the reported incidents of discrepancies because this may happen again in other parts of the world under the absentee voting and even on the May 9 elections in many part of the country,” Lakas Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte said.
Romualdez, who is running for the Senate, said he received reports that a vote for him was allegedly credited to another senatorial candidate, Party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna.
For his part, Colmenares asked the poll body to investigate the incident, saying “this may be a case of both fraud and black propaganda and we are writing the Comelec to inquire on the matter. We want to know all the circumstances regarding that incident and we want the said ballot retrieved.”
“Not only am I in no capacity to order Comelec officials to cheat for me, but we have always battled Comelec and Smartmatic for possible electoral fraud by their [voting] machines. I think that there is an effort to discredit me through black propaganda. Historically speaking, we are the ones who are always the victims of harassment and attacks during elections,” he added.
If this is a black propaganda or cheating operation, the lawmaker said the Comelec shold know who is behind it and to hold them accountable.
“Should it be found that the allegation is true and a Comelec personnel is responsible for such fraud I will personally file a case against him and see to it that he goes to prison. Now, if it is found, that [overseas voter Andresa Amba in Hong Kong] is lying and that her ballot, indeed, did not contain a vote for Representative Martin Romualdez then, at least, we know it is a made up propaganda ploy,” he said.
“In any case, I demand that the Comelec open up the ballot box to trace the ballot of Amba. I would not hesitate to file charges against those in the Comelec and anyone behind them,” Colmenares said.