Philippines: Pimentel decries PNP’s failure to get Bedol

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr.
(PDP-Laban) today said the failure of the Philippine
National Police (PNP) to enforce an order to arrest
Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol issued
by the Commission on Elections reenforces the
suspicion that he is enjoying the protection of
powerful political forces.

Pimentel said this also shows once more the
inefficiency or helplessness of the police in carrying
out its functions, specially in cases involving
influential or controversial personalities.

The warrant for arrest was issued by Comelec on Oct.
23 after turning down Bedol’s appeal to reverse a
previous decision of the poll body in which he was
pronounced guilty of indirect contempt and sentenced
to six months’ imprisonment.

The contempt case stemmed from Bedol’s failure to heed
the Comelec’s summons to appear during hearings on
missing municipal certificates of canvass from 22
towns in Maguindanao that would affect the outcome of
the May 13 senatorial elections.

In reply to media’s query on whether the Arroyo
government had a hand in Bedol’s disappearance,
Pimentel said, “Your guess is as good as mine. Bedol
has apparently gone into hiding. Whether or not Gloria
has a hand in it, only God knows.”

Pimentel had previously accused the Comelec of giving
Bedol a kid’s glove treatment for not making a
no-nonsense investigation of his alleged involvement
in the fabrication of COCs and other documents from
Maguindanao. The tampered COCs enabled Team Unity
candidate Juan Miguel Zubiri to overtake Genuine
Opposition bet Koko Pimentel III in the race for the
12th senatorial slot.

Pimentel dared the Comelec and PNP to exhaust all
efforts to track down Bedol to prevent another fiasco
from further eroding public trust in the electoral and
law enforcement system in the country.

“What is certain is that the Comelec cannot implement
its order to jail Bedol even for six short months. Is
this how inutile the Comelec has become.”
-o0o-

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