(Below is an email received by Kontra Daya from a concerned citizen last May 16)
I am Rafael Y. Querubin, a registered voter of the municipality of Magallanes, Agusan del Norte.
I sent you a message via text at 1:13 a.m. of May 15. I am now making it formal through this letter.
I have gathered the following data:
Out of 19 clusters (1 PCOS machine/cluster), ten (10) malfunctioned
Of these ten units, eight (8) reflected “Returned Ballots”, one had no power and another one was not able to transmit at all.
The cluster groups and precincts of the malfunctioning PCOS machines are as follows:
Cluster 2 – Barangay Poblacion
Cluster 6 – Sitio Dahican, Barangay Caloc-an
Clusters 11, 12 & 13 – Barangay Marcos
Clusters 14 & 15 – Barangay Sto. Niño
Clusters 16, 17 & 18 – Barangay Sto. Rosario
I voted in Cluster 2, Barangay Poblacion and was told by the BEI to drop my ballot into the PCOS bin (the machine had a wide opening where voters were told to drop their ballots). Upon further investigation, I learned that this practice happened in ALL the above clusters.
The ballots were then taken to the Municipal Hall in Barangay Poblacion and were then manually fed by the BEIs and some unauthorized teachers to a functioning PCOS machine. Apparently, they were only changing the CF cards and “memory chip” for each of the clusters mentioned above.
The results from the printed COCs reflected a landslide victory for the incumbent mayor, the incumbent vice mayor, and all their eight (8) councilors.
As of this writing, only Clusters 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 19 are reflected in the Comelec/Smartmatic website. These clusters, except for cluster 12, are the ones with functioning PCOS machines.
Vote-buying is common knowledge in Magallanes, but what is most alarming is the unrealistic landslide victory of the incumbent/Liberal Party.
This is happening in most cities and municipalities in Agusan del Norte. I am not certain if all these areas experienced the same percentage of PCOS machine breakdowns. There is a widespread disbelief and the suspicion of a large-scale conspiracy by the Liberal Party.
I truly believe that the hand of a new Virgilio “Hello Garci” Garcillano is behind the outrageous and unrealistic victory of the LP candidates in Agusan del Norte. I have not checked the other areas in Mindanao.
You can easily cross-check my claims with the Comelec results.
I am hoping that you would kindly look into this.
I believe in the sanctity of my vote. I believe in my right to suffrage. Please help the people of Magallanes and Agusan del Norte.
Thank you,
Rafael Y. Querubin