FINAL REPORT - Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

small to be the thumbprint of an adult (the phenomenon became more pronounced
when we compared them to the thumbprints of the election watchers, also found in
the same page of these election returns; (b) cannot be said to be those of different
members of different BEIs in different precincts, as the marks are exceedingly similar
in pattern and the print so uniform in respect of their ‘irregular’ size.
Many of the CEBU election returns, such as those in the municipalities of
Mandaue, Maribojoc, Ronda, etc. (e.g., returns from barangays Tipolo, Lincad, Langin
etc) manifest the said phenomenon. 29 Worse, similar sets of thumbprints were found
in Iloilo (such as the precincts in the municipalities of Calinog, Pavia etc.) 30 and Bohol
(such as the precincts in the municipalities of Victoria, 31 etc.).
The irregularity became more questionable when we found that the signature of
some BEI members in election returns were different from their respective signatures
in their respective voter registration forms, leading us to conclude that another person
signed in lieu of the member of the BEI whose signatures are dissimilar. 32
Inordinately Clean Taras
We agree with Tabayoyong's expert and experienced observation that Election
Returns are filled up in the night right after the election in an atmosphere of tension
and confusion, when the members of the BEI are very hungry and tired. The
recording of votes in the Returns cannot be done in a clean fashion considering such
an atmosphere, among other factors. In view of this electoral reality, our attention
was caught by the fact that a substantial number of presidential election returns in
CEBU contained quite immaculately recorded votes. Worse, this ‘immaculate’ style of
recording is replicated in electoral returns from a substantial number of precincts,
from different municipalities, covering as wide an area as Mandaue, Maribojoc, and
others, in Cebu. The same phenomenon was observable with regard to returns from
municipalities in Iloilo 33 and Bohol. 34
Even more mysteriously, even as there are clean ‘taras’ in the first page of many
ER's, it happens that the recording of ‘taras’ in the second or third or fourth pages of
these ER's is often no longer clean. 35
Irregular on its Face and therefore cannot be canvassed
29
For reference, see election returns of Precinct 0851 (Tipolo), Precints 34-A and 34-B (Lincad), and Precinct 37 A
(Langin), Cebu
30
31
32
33
34
35
For reference, see Precinct 97 A, Pavia, Iloilo, or Precinct 0103A, Libot, Calinog, Iloilo
For reference, see Precincts in Valencia, Victoria, Bohol
For reference, see the case of BEI member Neri Gripo.
For reference see Precinct 013A in Libot, Calinog, Iloilo.
For reference, see Precinct 0041A and 0041B in Victoria, Bohol.
For reference, see Precinct 136 A, San Isidro, San Fernando Pampanga.
109