By Sammy F. Martin
MANILA, Nov. 2 (PNA) — The chairman of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms decried on Sunday the “unwarranted delay” in the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) handling of the poll controversy in Paniqui town in Tarlac.
This developed as violence threatened the ongoing standoff between the followers of Mayor Miguel Rivilla and his rival, Rommel David, at the Paniqui municipal hall.
Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro asked Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes to ensure the swift resolution of the case filed by Rivilla against David, warning that delay may raise serious questions about the fairness of the poll body’s First Division.
At the same time, Castro vowed to file a bill that would prohibit any officer of judicial and quasi-judicial bodies from accepting new cases within one year from his or her date of retirement.
“Retiring court and tribunal officials should concentrate on resolving pending and old cases instead of accepting new ones that might just set off suspicions of ‘pabaon’ and other corrupt acts,” he explained.
Castro noted that the mayor had complained against the unjustified deferment of resolution in the case that was filed before the First Division headed by retiring Commissioner Lucenito Tagle.
“Commissioner Tagle should have acted on the issue ASAP (as soon as possible) to erase any doubt about the reason behind the delay,” Castro said.
The senior administration lawmaker pointed out that Rivilla may have raised a valid question that requires swift Comelec action because 3,684 or 87 percent of his votes in 15 polling precincts were invalidated by Benguet Judge Agapito Laoagan, who temporarily took over the Paniqui Regional Trial Court.
Laoagan has also junked Rivilla’s appeal for a recount of the photo image of the original ballots counted by precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines that gave the mayor a 3,000-vote lead over David.
“Comelec has assured Filipinos that PCOS is very reliable or near perfect. With its own credibility clearly at stake here, Comelec should not lose time in resolving the Paniqui problem,” said Castro.
Rivilla has asked the Comelec to issue a new TRO (temporary restraining order) to stop Laoagan from executing the judgment.
He pointed out that Laoagan ordered the recount and eventually decided on the poll protest filed by David, in defiance of a previous TRO issued by the Comelec.
ABAKADA Party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz and Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, both members of the suffrage panel, have joined the call for swift action on the Paniqui issue but to no avail.
Comelec’s alleged inaction on the new petition for TRO has triggered a standoff between the camps of Rivilla and David, who has taken over the municipal hall since Tuesday.
David took over the mayoralty post mainly as a result of Laoagan’s questioned court decision. He assumed the post by taking advantage of Rivilla’s 60-day suspension by the provincial government of Tarlac.
The suspension order was issued upon the filing of an administrative complaint against Rivilla by David’s wife, a Paniqui councilor.
To resolve the standoff, the Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Luzon has asked the office of Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II to rule on the legitimacy of David’s assumption as mayor. (PNA)