Alleged Ampatuan protégé resigns from Smartmatic

A supposed political operator with connections to the controversial Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao province has resigned from his work for poll machine supplier Smartmatic-TIM, the consortium said Monday. In an interview with GMANews.TV, Smartmatic spokesperson Gene Gregorio said Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional coordinator Arnulfo "Popoy" Cuyugan resigned Sunday after Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. scored Cuyugan for reportedly being backed by the Ampatuans. "Cuyugan resigned na to allay fears over the integrity of the (electoral) process in Maguindanao. He didn’t want to jeopardize the project," Gregorio said. Gregorio said it was Cuyugan who decided for himself and was not forced to do so. But Gregorio could not ascertain whether Cuyugan was recommended by any of the Ampatuans because the latter was not directly hired by Smartmatic-TIM. "I have no confirmation on that. He was hired through a manpower agency," he said. Earlier in the day, poll body chairman Jose Melo said he was also surprised to hear that someone linked to the powerful clan had indeed been hired by Smartmatic. "I will look into that personally. Ngayon ko lang nalaman yan (It is only now that I learned of it)," Melo told radio dzXL in an interview. The Ampatuan clan is being linked to the massacre of at least 57 people last November 23 in Maguindanao province. The clan is also accused of engaging in poll fraud favoring administration candidates in 2004 and 2007. - Kimberly Tan/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV