FINAL REPORT - Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

For what purpose do you feel did Colonel Pirino issued that
instruction?
MR. BALUTAN. I feel that, so that cheating can push through.
SEN. OSMEÑA. Cheating.
MR. BALUTAN. Yes, sir, Your Honor.
SEN. OSMEÑA. Do you have any information how cheating was
undertaken?
MR. BALUTAN. I have no idea what kind or what level of cheating
because I’m very much focused on the physical security of the
canvassing area including the putting of check points, roving
in the whole of Marawi City during that time.
SEN. OSMEÑA. All right. Well, that will be all for now, Mr. Chairman,
and I would like General Gudani and Colonel Balutan to know
that they have done the Marines proud.” (emphasis supplied)
On October 5, 2005, Lanao del Sur Namfrel Provincial Chairman Hadji
Abdullah “Lachs” Dalidig executed an affidavit in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, to
precisely attest to and confirm the fears of Gen. Gudani and Col. Balutan about the
run-away cheating in Lanao del Sur.
Affidavit of Lanao del Sur Namfrel Provincial Chairman Hadji Abdullah “Lacs”
Dalidig dated October 5, 2005 submitted to the CCTA on November 9, 2005 --
exposing the massive cheating and falsification through “dagdag-bawas” of voting
results in Lanao del Sur in favor of President Arroyo and the pressure exerted on him
by Col. Gominto Pirino of the Southcom 27 not to expose election anomalies
“That I was the Provincial Chairman of Lanao del Sur of National
Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) during the 2004 Elections and
as such, supervising more than 1,000 NAMFREL volunteers for all 39
Municipalities of Lanao del Sur plus Marawi City, I was able to observe
actively and closely the conduct of the 2004 elections in Lanao del Sur
and Marawi City;
That I was also the NAMFREL Provincial Chairman for Lanao del
Sur since 1992 election and prior to that I was Founder and Organizer in
1991 of the Islamic Movement on Electoral Reform for Good Government
(IMERGG) with active presence in practically all the Provinces in Muslim
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the very same Army colonel who took over from Marine Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani when the latter – at the
critical period during the counting of votes -- was relieved without valid basis and told by Navy Flag Officer-in-
Command Admiral de Leon to go to Manila, play golf or go to Boracay, according to Brig. Gen. Gudani’s sworn
testimony in the Senate on September 28, 2005
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