Brillantes confident Abalos will remain in jail

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is confident that former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos will continue to stay in jail in spite of the latter's petition for bail filed with the Pasay Regional Trial Court (RTC).

Speaking to reporters at the Department of Justice (DOJ) where he met with members of the joint DOJ-Comelec poll fraud committee, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillates said the evidence against Abalos is "strong."

"Oo naman. He will be there for quite sometime... the evidence is strong, in fact, very strong," Brillantes said.

"The only way that he could get out of jail would be by way of acquittal and that would take some time, may trial pa tayo," he added.

Abalos was charged with electoral sabotage for alleged massive poll fraud in the 2007 senatorial polls.