Election law expert contradicts Koko Pimentel: 'I beg to disagree, Bautista must be investigated'

Senate President Koko Pimentel

Senate President Koko Pimentel stated that the wealth of COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista-of which he earned for more than 20 years- wasn’t a considerable fact to associate Bautista in the alleged 2016 election fraud.

In this connection, Pimentel also said that if the issue was all about Bautista’s ill-gotten wealth, then the automated elections should not be brought up in the said ignominy.



Atty. Chong disagreed on Pimentel’s reasoning. Atty. Chong even listed the abnormalities during the last automated elections.

The alteration of the transparency server by the technical team of SMARTMATIC was one. Another is the disapproval of request to conduct an independent systems audit after they altered the server during the last automated elections. There were too many violations of the Automated Elections Law –which has set mandatory requirements to ensure the credibility of and integrity of the election results.

There’s also a manipulation of the contracts to favor Smartmatic that is why the company has a monopoly to bid on the contract for the automated election system. The connection between Bautista and the Smartmatic can be traced as well as the connection of Bautista to the LP is evident, see how they defend Bautista now.

Atty. Chong believes that the issue on Bautista’s ill-gotten wealth was well connected to the elections. “Dahil sa mga isyu at pangyayaring ito, dapat na talagang mag-imbestiga ang Kongreso upang mahalungkat ang hinahanap nilang “convincing proof” kung ito talaga ang gusto nila. Tama sina Sen. Tito Sotto at Sen. Grace Poe sa kanilang panawagan na imbestigahan si Bautista.”

Atty. Chong also asked that if Bautista was able to earn the P1.3 billion in 20 years, why is it not included in his SALN. “Kung totoong kahalo rito ang mga ari-arian at pera ng kanyang dalawang kapatid at ina, ibig bang sabihin si Bautista ang may pinakamaliit na parte sa lahat dahil P173.6 million lang ang idineklara niya sa kanyang SALN o 13.35% lamang ng P1.3 billion?”

And if that is the case, Atty. Chong assumes therefore that Bautista is not a good investment manager especially when his family would entrust the management of their wealth and assets since Bautista’s management of funds when he has the least share in family’s wealth.

“Hindi tumutugma ang kanilang istorya.”



Read full post of Atty. Glenn Cong below.

I BEG TO DISAGREE

Ayon kay Senate President Koko Pimentel, ang kayamanan ni Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista – kung kinita man niya ito 20 taon na ang lumipas o malapit sa halalang noong 2016 – ay hindi “convincing proof” upang pagdudahan ang resulta ng nasabing halalan.

Sang-ayon ako sa sinabi ni Sen. Pimentel kung ang isyu rito ay ang kayamanan lamang ni Bautista at wala ng iba pang mga isyu sa pagpatakbo ng halalan sa ilalim ng kanyang pamumuno.

Pero kung ang halalan sa ilalim ni Bautista ay nabalot ng maraming isyu tulad ng:

1. Pagkalikot sa transparency server ng mga tauhan ng Smartmatic;

2. Mariing pagtanggi sa hiniling na independent systems audit ng automated election system matapos kalikutin ito;

3. Maraming paglabag sa batas ng automated elections na nagtakda ng mga mandatory requirements upang mapangalagaan ang integridad ng resulta ng halalan;

4. Pagmaniubra ng lahat ng mga kontrata tungkol sa halalan pabor sa Smartmatic at pagbigay ng monopoliya nito;

5. Koneksyon ni Bautista sa Smartmatic; at,

6. Koneksyon ni Bautista sa partido ng mga dilawan,

ang isyu ng kanyang tagong yaman ay tiyak magkakaroon ng koneksyon sa halalan.

Dahil sa mga isyu at pangyayaring ito, dapat na talagang mag-imbestiga ang Kongreso upang mahalungkat ang hinahanap nilang “convincing proof” kung ito talaga ang gusto nila. Tama sina Sen. Tito Sotto at Sen. Grace Poe sa kanilang panawagan na imbestigahan si Bautista.

At kung kinita man ni Bautista ang P1.3 billion na yaman niya 20 taon na ang lumipas, bakit kapiranggot lang ang nasa SALN niya? Kung totoong kahalo rito ang mga ari-arian at pera ng kanyang dalawang kapatid at ina, ibig bang sabihin si Bautista ang may pinakamaliit na parte sa lahat dahil P173.6 million lang ang idineklara niya sa kanyang SALN o 13.35% lamang ng P1.3 billion? Kung ganun, hindi siya magaling na investment manager para ipagkatiwala sa kanya at pangalagaan ang kayamanan ng mga kapatid at ina niya dahil siya pa nga ang may pinakamaliit na yaman sa lahat. Hindi tumutugma ang kanilang istorya.

Source: Atty. Glenn Chong

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