MANILA — Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes on Monday said Senator Vicente Sotto III should name the source of the information regarding the alleged irregularities in 2016 elections which the latter earlier bared.
He noted that the allegations may just be a rehash of issues raised in the 2010 polls, when the country first implemented automated elections.
“Once we know who is this source we may know if this is true or false or is this the same person talking about fraud sa automation since 2010,” said the former poll body chief in a forum in Manila on Monday.
Brillantes opined that the “source” of Sotto is not a credible one.
“I am surprised with the statements of Senator Tito (Sotto). I cannot comprehend. Who is his source? I am worried that I know who it is, and, I think, it (the source) should not be believed,” he added.
On the other hand, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez reiterated his earlier statement that they would like to know the source of the senator.
“We are really interested in finding the source of these allegations by Sen. Sotto. That is our goal. Whoever investigates it, what is important is there will be an investigation,” said the poll body official in the same forum.
He noted that they are still waiting for Sotto’s response to their request to have a copy of the documents.
“For now, we cannot confirm anything because we do not hold anything except copies of pictures from the TV. But that would not be enough to serve as basis for any conclusions,” said Jimenez.
Last week, Sotto reported the alleged irregularities in the May 2016, including the transmission of votes happening a day before the actual counting of ballots.
He added his “impeccably reliable source” believes that the election servers were also accessed by a foreign entity “before, during, and after” the polls. (PNA)
