Sarmiento resigns from Maguindanao TF - Abalos

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr confirmed that Commissioner Rene Sarmiento resigned from the task force investigating the alleged poll fraud in Maguindanao province, radio dzBB reported Monday. Quoting Abalos, the same report said Sarmiento will be replaced by Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer as head of the task force. Sarmiento reportedly resigned due to health concerns. The task force is investigating Maguindanao's delivery of a 12-0 sweep for senatorial candidates of President Macapagal Arroyo under the Team Unity ticket. Aside from Maguindanao, towns in at least eight other provinces in Visayas and Mindanao reportedly gave all their votes to Arroyo's bets. DzBB earlier quoted a statement from Malacañang saying that TU bets have so far emerged unopposed in 34 towns – 17 of which are in Maguindanao, while the rest are in Visayan provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar and in Mindanao provinces of Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Sulu and Zambonga Sibugay. The report said administration officials believed that TU bets won in these areas because of “command votes". TU deputy spokesman Tonypet Albano earlier said that the administration is expecting more sweeps, enough to push two to four of its candidates into the winning slots. - GMANews.TV