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Militants dare new Comelec chief Jose Melo : Probe Esperon on Hello Garci scandal

Leftwing militants belonging to Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Sunday challenged newly appointed chief of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) retired Justice Jose Melo to revive the Hello Garci election fraud scandal by investigating the alleged participation of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr., whose term was extended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for three months.

“For a fresh start, we dare the former Supreme Court Justice to re-open the Hello Garci scandal and summon General Esperon to the witness stand regarding allegations that he was part of the Palace cheating machinery in the last May 2004 presidential elections,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“This is a tough task to follow, but Justice Melo has to do this to show that he is a credible Comelec chief and not just a willing puppet of President Arroyo, the central figure of that cheating electoral escapade that happened in May 2004 elections,” Hicap added.

President Arroyo has extended the term of Esperon for another three months, while Melo was named by the Chief Executive as the new chairman of Comelec, currently suffering a wholesale credibility crisis for alleged election fraud committed in May 2004 and May 2007 national elections.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap admitted that his group has deep reservation over the appointment of Melo, saying the former Supreme Court Justice absolved the President of her crimes against the people and against humanity in relation to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of leftwing activists over the past six years when he chaired the government-led Melo Commission tasked to investigate the killings.

“We will not engage in wait and see attitude. Chairman Melo has to prove to the highly skeptical public that he is the right man for the job, and the re-opening of the Hello Garci scandal and investigation of Esperon and other key Comelec officials like former Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano is a must,” the Pamalakaya leader said.

Pamalakaya also dared the new Comelec chief to investigate alleged election fraud committed against militant party list groups like Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela Women’s Party, saying hundreds of cases of election fraud, including partisan politics staged by military officials and elements against leftwing party lists were documented by various election watchdogs.

“Melo failed to impress the Filipino public when he led the Melo Commission. He suffered in comparison with UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston as far as ferreting out the truth on the issue of political killings is concern. The re-opening of Hello Garci is a make or break for him,” the militant group said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:28 | link | comments |

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