MANILA, April 7 (PNA) — The Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday ordered the Law Department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to comment on the petitions filed by former Tarlac Gov. Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco and former Biliran Rep. Glen Chong seeking to stop the Comelec from proceeding with the complaint filed against them.
The complaint involves the alleged participation of Cojuangco and Chong in the “snatching” and “tampering” of ballots in Baguio City during the May 13, 2013 elections.
In the deliberations of the justices on Tuesday, the SC also ordered the consolidation of the separate petitions filed by Cojuangco and Chong.
The SC also directed the Comelec to comment on the prayer of the petitioners for the SC to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to temporarily stop the proceeding of the complaint now pending before the Law Department of the Comelec.
It gave the Comelec a period of 10 ten days from receipt of notice within which to submit its comment.
In her petition, Cojuangco argued that the Comelec has violated her right to “due process” and “freedom of speech”. (PNA)