Pimentel ‘frustrated’ with Comelec’s answers to Sotto allegations

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday expressed frustration with the Commission on Elections' answer to claims of irregularities in the 2016 polls earlier made by Senate President Vicente Sotto.

“We were so frustrated with the explanations of the Comelec on the issues raised by Senate President Sotto,” Pimentel, chairman committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation, told reporters after the hearing.

He said this is the reason he asked the poll body to submit an official explanation in writing and answer Sotto's allegations point by point.

“Give this committee your official answer and explanation to the observations mentioned by the Senate President on his two privilege speeches,” he said.

Pimentel said one of the issues he wants answered is about a transmission on a date before the elections, when no activity should be happening.

“Bakit nagkaroon ng transmission at a time, one day before elections, supposed to be quiet time, wala pang activity, bakit nagkaroon ng transmission,” he said.

During the hearing, Sotto asked the Comelec for the transmission logs from May 8 to May 9.

Comelec executive director Jose Tolentino they already submitted the logs but these were just snapshots and promised to provide the record Wednesday afternoon.

Sotto noted that what has been provided were logs only on May 9 on the day of the elections and none on the day before the polls.

Asked to verify the logs, Tolentino said he cannot do that because the records were voluminous.

“We saw that in one of the presentation in the privilege speech and while it appears to be the same log on what we have, we still have to verify it. We have voluminous log and we still have to verify each,” he said. — BM, GMA News