LACSON TO FELLOW OPPOSITION BETS: WATCH FOR CHEATING IN AREAS WITH UNNECESSARY DELAYS, ELECTION OFFICIALS ABANDONING POSTS

They may be on top of the race for now, but opposition senatorial candidates should be wary of unnecessary delays in the canvassing of votes in some areas, and of election officials leaving their posts in others.

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson urged his fellow members in the Genuine Opposition (GO) to instruct their staffs to keep closer tabs on these areas, including Bulacan, Bicol and Mindanao, and some parts of Metro Manila.

"We must keep watch over unnecessary delays. I have instructed my staff to watch these areas, whether the delay is deliberate or not. This can open the door to some unscrupulous parties to maintain whatever is left of the integrity of our election this year," he said.

He said the GO is watching closely the race in the 10th to 12th slots, where cheating may alter the results.

Lacson cited reports of "unnecessary delays" in Quezon City, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, and four towns in Sultan Kudarat province, including Isulan town. Similar "unnecessary delays" have also been reported in Albay province and Legazpi City in Bicol, he said.

On the other hand, Lacson noted that in four towns in Sultan Kudarat, the election officers abandoned their posts.

"It is possible that plans are afoot and the election officers are playing along," he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson urged poll watchdog groups to make a test case out of cheating in Maguindanao, where a teacher came forward to spill the beans.

The teacher, in an interview on radio Saturday, had claimed that teachers were made to fill blanks in ballots for Team Unity senatorial candidates. She added schoolchildren were made to print thumb marks on the ballots.

"We should see someone jailed for this. If a handwriting expert confirms that only two to three filled in the blanks in the ballots in the area, we'll have an open and shut case," he said.