Bedol figured in the controversial “Hello Garci” wiretapped conversations as the subject of seven calls between then elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and unidentified male and female callers, one with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, one with the late Senator Robert Barbers and two with Bedol himself.
In most of the taped conversations, Bedol was mentioned as “tao natin” (our man) and the man who would “gagawa ng paraan” (find a way), referring to the number of votes involving presidential candidate Arroyo and senatorial bet Barbers.
In an interview with MindaNews in early July 2005, Bedol did not deny his closeness with Garcillano but denied ever having done any “paraan.”
As of Monday noon, the PBC of Maguindanao was waiting for the certificates of canvass from the five remaining towns but out of 73% of the votes canvassed from 17 of 22 towns, it was 12-0 for the Senate, with Luis “Chavit” Singson topping the race.
Maguindanao’s “daughter province,” Shariff Kabunsuan, the country’s 80 province and Mindanao’s 27th, has 11 towns and 198,278 registered voters. Its mother province, Maguindanao has 212,795 registered voters from 22 towns.[]
Together, these two provinces account for 411,073 registered voters, up by 76,786 from 2004 when the undivided Maguindanao had 334,287 registered voters.
