Sumalipao Interview

Lanao poll official confirms voice in tape
By Ryan Rosauro
Sun-Star Ozamiz correspondent

MARAWI CITY -- In an act that could provide leads into the authenticity of the conversations in the "Garci tapes," a Lanao election official confirmed that one of the wiretapped exchanges over mobile phone is true.

Lawyer Rey Sumalipao, provincial election supervisor of Lanao del Sur, told reporters here he actually received a call from then Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano inquiring about the developments in the field.

This admission makes him the second person to confirm that it was his voice on the tape. The first was President Arroyo but did not specify which of the conversations.

In a transcript of the tape prepared by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Sumalipao was telling Garcillano about a canvassing going on in Lumba-Bayabao town of Lanao del Sur.

Sumalipao told Garcillano there was an en banc order to continue with the canvassing but suspend the proclamation. In the conversation, Garcillano seems surprised by the issuance of the order. The conversation happened on May 30, 2004 at around 1:30 pm.

Sumalipao said he was in Lumba-Bayabao to enforce the order when Garcillano called. A day before, he said, there was an order to stop the canvassing.

Sumalipao said the conversation had nothing to do with defrauding somebody during the elections.

No call

The second time his name was mentioned in the tape was a June 8, 2004 conversation allegedly between Garcillano and President Arroyo on how to deal with the allegations of Abdullah Dalidig, provincial chair of Namfrel in Lanao del Sur, that there is massive "dagdag-bawas" in the province.

Garcillano assured the President that Sumalipao will answer the allegations.

Sumalipao defended this line by Garcillano saying it is but logical for him to answer the Namfrel charges as he is the Comelec official with responsibility over administering the elections in Lanao del Sur.

But he said he did not receive any call from Garcillano instructing him to answer the charges.

Sumalipao, who is now Comelec's assistant regional director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), said it is flimsy to conclude that the 2004 election results in Lanao del Sur was heavily rigged in favor of Arroyo just because of those conversations.

Save for the results from two towns where there is complete failure of election and about three others with partial failures, the results for the province were already transmitted to Congress afternoon of May 24, 2004.

Sumalipao estimated that the remaining towns where failure of election was declared comprised only of around 15,000 voters.

"How can those conversations have bearing on the electoral outcome when they took place after we have transmitted the election results to Congress?" Sumalipao asked.

Meetings

Responding to recent allegations made by Michaelangelo Zuce, Sumalipao said these are falsehood, especially that about the consultation meeting in Tubod town of Lanao del Norte and a gathering in President Arroyo's La Vista residence.

Sumalipao said the alleged consultation meeting was actually a three-day sportsfest held towards the end of 2002. A local reporter who covered the event attested to this, and said Garcillano was also present.

When asked of the possibility the consultation meeting happened during the night, a shrugged shoulder was the only reply.

The reporter noted that throughout the event, there was always a program at night after which socials follow.

But the reporter observed the expensive prizes of their raffles like a refrigerator for the major prize and uppity mobile phone units as consolation prizes.

Sumalipao also debunked Zuce's claim that Mindanao election officials were gathered for a payoff at La Vista. He admitted that a meeting of Mindanao election executives did occurred but in a hotel, although he could no longer recall the name of the hotel by now.

Not stupid

He related that sometime January 2004, the provincial election supervisors were in Manila to submit the list of candidates to the central office.

"We made use of that opportunity for the organizational meeting of all provincial election supervisors of Mindanao," he said.

He said the fact that they were already there, "it is just a matter of each of us to come together." The meeting led to the creation of the Mindanao Provincial Election Supervisors Association.

During the meeting, Sumalipao said, the "elected interim officers, assign members to draft a Constitution and by-laws."

He assailed the attendance sheet that was attached to Zuce's affidavit as only lifted and hence out of context. "We are lawyers. We are not stupid to make evidence of ourselves in an irregularity," Sumalipao stressed.

He also admitted seeing Zuce once in Garcillano's office but could not recall anymore when, although he said he recalled meeting him when he saw Zuce on television.

"It is quite easy to remember his face and built," he said.

Sumalipao said Zuce's "lies" are "designed to let the Comelec succumbed to people who intend to grab power."

"Please stop all these lies," Sumalipao implored Zuce.