TWO former Commission on Elections provincial supervisors yesterday came out in the open and linked their former boss, ex-Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos, to the 2007 poll fraud in Mindanao aimed at  ensuring a 12-0 victory of the administration senatorial candidates in the region.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima presented to mediamen lawyers Lilian Suan-Radam, former acting provincial election supervisor and the chairman of provincial board of canvassers of South Cotobato, and Yogie Martirizar, former acting provincial election supervisor of North Cotabato Province and the chair of the provincial board of canvassers.

De Lima placed the two whistleblowers provisionally under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

They were dropped from the Comelec’s roster following the filing of electoral sabotage charges against them by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III for allegedly tampering with the results of the 2007 senatorial race in favor of his rival, former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Zubiri recently resigned as member of the Senate after the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) declared Pimentel as the real winner in Mindanao region.

The two lawyers submitted their respective affidavits to the DoJ implicating Abalos and some operatives of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) in the manipulation of the results of the 2007 national elections in favor of the administration candidates under the Team Unity.

”It is only now that I came out and tell my story because it is only now that the time is right for me to tell the truth. The situation before is not susceptible to tell the truth,” Suan-Radam told reporters.

A warrant of arrest has been issued against Suan-Radam by the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City   while the case against Martirizar is still undergoing preliminary investigation.

In her affidavit, Suan-Radam claimed that sometime in April 2007 she and the other provincial election supervisors had their monthly meeting at the Comelec Regional Office at General Santos City.

During the meeting, Colemec Region XII acting regional director, lawyer Michael Abas, informed them about the instruction of Abalos for a “12-0” result of the senatorial election in favor of the administration candidates in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

The former election supervisor said she initially thought Abas was just joking, but the latter reiterated to them that the instruction is real and that they should start making plans on how to carry it out.

Also in April 2007, Suan-Radam said she along  with Abas, other provincial election supervisors and regional election directors from other regions were summoned to a meeting by no other than Abalos in Davao City where the latter personally instructed them to ensure a 12-0 victory in favor of the Team Unity as well as the victory of some party-list supported by the administration.

Abalos further told the election officials that they will be provided with certificate of canvass (CoC) and other accountable election forms bearing the same serial numbers during the canvassing.

Martirizar’s affidavit corroborated Suan-Radam’s on Abalos’ role in the 2007 poll fraud in Mindanao.

In her 14-affidavit, Martirizar said Abalos threatened to dismiss her from the service if she would not follow his instructions to manipulate the results of the election in her area.

”Commissioner Abalos further informed us that during the election proper we will be provided with extra copies of statement of votes, certificates of proclamation, and other election forms, bearing the same serial number as what was officially issued to our province, and that we should use the same to alter the results,” Martirizar said.