FINAL REPORT - Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

13. In the 3,000 election returns, I found the following
defects: (a) There were no closing signatures and thumb marks,
which defect I classify as naked pattern; (b) Some had closing
signatures but without closing thumb marks, which defect I classify
as semi-naked. (c) There may be fingerprints but were too tiny. (d)
There were fingerprints approximating thumb marks but were not
identifiable vis-à-vis the thumb marks in the lower portions of the
election returns which were certifications of the Board of election
Inspectors. (e) There were fingerprints in the election returns
containing unique or unusual designs which are not part of usual
thumb marks. (f) There was substitution of pages, mostly on page
one which contains the names of candidates for national positions:
(g) The preparation of the election returns did not follow the
chronological order. (h) An unusual kind of ink was used, which
defect is not readily noticeable to an ordinary person.
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15. The results of my analysis and examination prove that the election
returns were prepared under the conditions that afforded the
‘operators’ of fraud the convenience of place and the luxury of time
which do not obtain in the ordinary course of election activities.
The findings also show that there was common authorship in the
making of entries in the election returns, which were performed by
‘golden arms’ or those taking care of the signatures and handwritings
and by the ‘pianistas’ or those faking fingerprints. All these indicate
that the election returns were not prepared in the election precincts
on election day but elsewhere. Simply stated, the election returns
were pre-fabricated and therefore spurious.” 28 (emphasis supplied)
We have gone over a number of election returns and find that they contain
irregularities that go into their authenticity or the credibility of their contents. These
irregularities are sufficient in number and serious in nature that any proper
canvassing of the 2004 elections cannot be credibly conducted without resolving their
questionability. A substantial number of election returns are in fact defective on their
face, e.g., the serial number found in their page 1 is different from that found in their
page 2.
Highly irregular thumbprints
The phenomenon of irregular thumbprints is predominant in the election
returns of the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo and Bohol. The thumbprints marked on the
spaces provided in the Election Returns for the thumbprints of the members of the
Board of Election Inspectors (a) cannot be those of adults, because their sizes are too
28
“Until today, all the provincial election supervisors of Negros Occidental and Oriental, Iloilo, and Cebu
have failed to submit to the Comelec the final voters’ list in those provinces despite repeated demands by
the main office. Arroyo posted wide margins of victory in these areas, with Cebu province giving her the
biggest lead. Certificates of canvass show that Arroyo trounced Poe by 1,861,019 votes in the four provinces.
If there’s no final voters’ list in a province, how does one verify if the number of votes tallied with
those that registered?” (“How Comelec Got Into the Mess,” Aries Rufo, Newsbreak, December 5, 2005, pp. 26-27;
emphasis supplied)
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