Columnist, university professor over Bautista's out of country: "Why is Andy not as demonized as Leila and Janette?"



Prof. Contreras and Andy Bautista photo file

De La Salle University (DLSU) professor Antonio Contreras, who is also a political analyst has shared his opinion through his column in Manila Times regarding Andy Bautista’s exit and as to why he’s not being demonized as Leila De lima and Janette Garin.

Contreras revealed that the former Commission on Election (COMELEC) chief Andy Bautista has already left the country, somewhere in the US.

The professor also said that Bautista leaving the country quietly was a puzzle, even after being impeached by the House of the Representatives and being allowed to resign from his post.

“At the heart of Andy’s possible culpability, for which the impeachment process has already found probable cause, was his possible participation in electoral fraud. He presided over the 2016 elections where we now see evidence of horrific acts of undermining the people’s will.” Contreras wrote.

“Election laws were thwarted even by the Comelec itself, by passing resolutions that left unauthorized marks in the digital copies of ballots, authorizing an illegal fourth server to be installed, establishing six other regional elections management systems when the law only allowed for one, and failing to fully comply with the security and transparency measures required by law.” He added.

He also mentioned how the ballots were manipulated during the election.

“We saw digital footprints of precincts transmitting results as early as the day before the elections, ballots that were shaded for Bongbong Marcos being read as undervotes, and ballots that were supposed to be spoiled because there are two names shaded read by the vote counting machines as valid Robredo votes.” Contreras wrote in detail.

“We also saw precincts at least 60 kilometers apart with Boards of Election Inspectors (BEIs) bearing different names but practically the same handwritings, and the signatures of those who voted not matching the signatures of the registered voter. And we saw a discrepancy between the national tally of votes for vice president transmitted directly to the central Comelec server, and the sum of the votes that were separately transmitted electronically by the provincial and city board of canvassers. We also saw anomalous levels of undervotes way beyond the tolerable level of three percent.” He wrote.

Mentioning these allegedly fraud acts of Bautista, he should have been placed on the hold departure list.

He pointed out that drugs cases like De Lima’s and possible deaths caused by Dengvaxia (for Garin) are just as horrible, if not worse, as what Andy Bautista might have done.

“And then we begin to realize that Andy Bautista is not as vilified, and that he is getting an easier pass, the useless arrest order against him notwithstanding, precisely because there are powerful forces that would like to see him quietly go away.” The DLSU professor said.


 source: Manila Times


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