ShareThisMANILA — Former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol has pleaded not guilty on the electoral sabotage charges filed by the joint Department of Justice-Commission on Election (DOJ-Comelec) panel before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2007 senatorial elections.
Appearing before Pasay RTC Branch 112 Judge Jesus Mupas on Tuesday, Bedol, accompanied by his legal counsel Reynaldo Princesa, denied he rigged the results of the mid-term polls on orders of his co-accused, former President and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.
Bedol was originally set to be arraigned on March 19 but during Tuesday’s hearing, he manifested his desire to enter his plea and with the prosecution panel posing no objection, the court proceeded with his arraignment.
After entering his plea, Bedol, through his counsel, asked the court to allow him to use communication devices such as cellular phones and laptops while in detention.
Bedol has been detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame since last year after surrendering to the poll body allegedly due to threats to his life.
He completed in January a six-month sentence for contempt meted by the Comelec in 2007 after he repeatedly failed to respond to summonses and appear in person during the investigations of the alleged poll irregularities.
Acting on the request, Mupas ordered the prosecution panel to file their comment and set the pre-trial of the case on April 19.
The court has also set the pre-trial of Arroyo on the same charges on that same date. The former chief executive has already pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment last month.
Aside from setting the pre-trial date, Mupas also scheduled three hearing dates for Bedol’s petition to fix bail, two of which coincide with the same petition of Arroyo on March 15 and 22.
Only Ampatuan Sr. has not been arraigned for the electoral sabotage charges filed against the three by the joint DOJ-Comelec panel, after he was hospitalized last week for vomiting blood and difficulty in breathing.
Mupas ordered Ampatuan’s camp to submit his medical records as well as the latest report on his health condition which it said would be used to determine whether to proceed with his arraignment on March 15.