Former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan just announced something that the majority of the Filipino people have known for years. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo not only knew, but in all probability took an active part in election cheating during her term as president. It happened in 2004 when she stole the presidency from Fernando Poe, Jr. Hello, Garci, anyone? It happened in 2007 when she padded the Senate with her handpicked favourites, one of whom lost the count but won the elections anyway. It happened in 2010 when her chosen candidates bought their seats left and right, herself included. For too long, the Commission on Elections has been remiss in its solemn duty to protect the vote, especially in ARMM. Ampatuan’s revelation is no revelation at all, merely a statement of fact. Virgilio Garcillano was not unique in the Comelec, but was representative of the electoral body’s bureaucracy where the will of the people as expressed through the ballot is not worth one damn centavo. Maybe this Ampatuan feels genuine remorse for whatever he did or failed to do, or maybe he’s just trying to save his own skin. It was bad enough that the Ampatuan family cheated the entire nation through

the polls that they rigged, but we will never, never, never forgive them for the Maguindanao massacre that they perpetrated. This is one national wound that can never heal. At least not in this lifetime. In a way, I am heartened that the crimes of the Arroyo regime are finally coming to light. But at the same time, I am saddened that we as a people allowed the sins to happen. The excesses of the Arroyos brought back memories of what the Marcoses did during the two decades that Ferdinand Marcos was president. It was as if we had failed to learn our lessons. I feel sorry for Koko Pimentel, who was the biggest victim of the electoral fraud of 2007. An ongoing recount shows him far ahead of Migs Zubiri, the Arroyo candidate who grabbed the last senate slot and who is likely to serve the full six-year term that rightfully belongs to Pimentel. After Pimentel filed a protest, the Senate Electoral Tribunal took its own good time in determining if there was indeed massive fraud that year. It is worth noting that the head of that tribunal has said that to continue the recount would be an exercise in futility, as Pimentel has already established a lead that Zubiri cannot hope to overcome. It’s cliché time, folks. Justice delayed is justice denied. This bears repeating. Justice delayed is justice denied. Ampatuan is now saying that the former president’s husband was directly responsible for the fraud that happened in 2007. The former First Gentleman, of course, denied this through his spokesman. Gloria Arroyo has taken some seemingly desperate actions to gain public sympathy, including appearing in the House of Representatives wearing a neck brace a couple of weeks ago. If she were truly injured, she should now be resting. But what do we find out but that she is healthy enough to travel abroad? Taking another look at the fruits of her nine years as president, perhaps? Or maybe she just needed to get away from it all, and not have to wear that ridiculous neck brace in public.