PHNO-HL: BINAY, DEFEATED MAR ROXAS ORDERED TO COMMENT ON 5,000 BALLOT BOXES


BINAY, DEFEATED MAR ROXAS ORDERED TO COMMENT ON 5,000 BALLOT BOXES

MANILA, MAY 3, 2011 (STAR) By Edu Punay - Vice President Jejomar Binay and his defeated rival Manuel Roxas II were ordered to comment within two days on a motion of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to use 5,000 protested ballot boxes in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) election set in August.
Chief Justice Renato Corona issued the resolution last week as chairman of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
The Supreme Court (SC) is in decision writing recess until last week of this month.
Roxas has filed an electoral protest against Binay.
In an urgent motion, the poll body asked the PET to allow the use of all 5,000 ballot boxes, which are under the SC's custody since purchasing new ones would cost the government P17,120,845.
"The remaining four and half months until the conduct of the ARMM elections is insufficient to address legal issues concerning the purchase of 5,000 new ballot boxes, and too short a time to manufacture, ship and deploy them to the various precincts in the ARMM," the Comelec said.
The Comelec also asked the PET to order Roxas to identify the least priority precincts under his protest from which the 5,000 ballot boxes, more or less, would be taken.
In a ruling last month, the PET allowed the Comelec to copy the compact flash (CF) cards used in the May 10, 2010 national and local elections to resolve cases other than the protest and counter-protest between Binay and Roxas.
The CF cards are now in the SC's custody for resolution of protest and counter-protest of Roxas and Binay.
In a resolution dated April 12 and released yesterday, the PET granted the request of Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento for authority to copy the CF cards for purposes of producing ballot images that may be used for possible recount of ballots in at least five poll protest cases.
Covered by the order are the cases of Antonio Gatuslao vs. Mayor Agustin Bascon of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental; Pancrasio Nisce vs. Vice Mayor Hermenegildo Gualberto of San Fernando City, La Union; Jaime Fresnedi vs. Mayor Aldrin San Pedro of Muntinlupa; Marissa Rongavilla vs. Vice Mayor Artemio Simundac of Muntinlupa; and Ferdinand Dysico vs. Vice Mayor Jose Felimon of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.
The SC required the poll body's first division, chaired by Sarmiento, to indicate the areas involved in the five protests.
FROM BOMBO RADYO PHILIPPINES
REPORTED IN TAGALOG:
Binay at Roxas, pinagpapaliwanag sa mosyon ng Comelec Monday, 02 May 2011 13:23
Pinagpapaliwanag ng Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) sina Vice President Jejomar Binay at presidential troubleshooter Mar Roxas kaugnay sa kahilingan ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) na mapayagan silang magamit sa halalan sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) sa Agosto, 2011 ang 5,000 ballot boxes na kabilang sa nakabinbing vice presidential election protest sa PET.
Sa dalawang pahinang resolusyon, binigyan lamang ng 48 oras sina Binay at Roxas upang isumite ang kanilang mga komento at paliwanag hinggil sa naturang usapin.
Dumulog ang Comelec sa Supreme Court dahil ang naturang ballot boxes ay saklaw ng election protest na inihain ni Roxas laban sa pangalawang pangulo kaugnay sa naganap na May 10, 2010 vice-presidential elections.
"Now, therefore, the tribunal hereby requires the parties to comment on the urgent motion to use 5,000 ballot boxes for ARMM elections filed by the Commission on Elections, within a non-extendible period of 48 hours from notice thereof," saad sa resolusyon.
Ipinalabas ni clerk of the tribunal Atty. Enriqueta Vidal ang naturang resolusyon matapos na bigyang-pahintulot ni Chief Justice Renato Corona, chairman ng PET.
Una nang iginiit ng Comelec na gagastos ng P17,120,845 ang komisyon para sa bibilhing bagong 5,000 ballot boxes.
"That the remaining four and half months until the conduct of the ARMM elections is insufficient to address legal issues concerning the purchase of 5,000 new ballot boxes, and too short a time to manufacture, ship and deploy them to the various precincts in the ARMM," ayon sa poll body.
Dahil dito, hiniling ng Comelec sa PET na pahintulutan ang paggamit ng 5,000 existing ballot boxes sa 76,340 clustered precincts na nilalaman ng election protest sa pagitan nina Roxas at Binay.
FROM ABS-CBN

SC asked to rule vs postponing ARMM polls ABS-CBN InteractiveABS-CBN – Thu, Apr 14, 2011 9:32 PM PHT
MANILA, Philippines - Various leaders of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other concerned groups filed 2 separate petitions before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of bills postponing the elections there.
The first petition was filed by lawyer Alex Macalawi, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Marawi-Lanao Chapter, and Abdul Jabbar Awar, president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen of Marawi City.
The other petition was filed by Datu Michael Abas Kida, representative of the Maguindanao Federation of Autonomous Irrigators Association, Inc. and residents Hadji Muhmina Usman, John Anthony Lim, Jamilon Odin, Asrin Timbol, Jaiyari, Mujib Kalang, Alih Al-Saidi Sapi-E, Kessar Damsie Abdil, and Bassam Aluh Saupi.
Both petitions named as respondents Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and National Treasurer Roberto Tan.
The petitioners sought to halt House Bill 4146 and Senate Bill 2756, which synchronizes the ARMM polls with the 2013 polls.
They also raised alarm bells over the pronouncement of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III that he will be extending the terms of incumbent officials.
"Such acts of the executive and legislative branches of the government are capricious and whimsical in excess of their jurisdiction, and without basis in law, and are contrary to the provisions of the Constitution on the democratic nature of government and on regional autonomy," the petitioners said.
They also noted the proposed laws would shorten the term of offices of the ARMM officials to two years contrary to the Constitution, the Organic Act and the Local Government Code of 1991, all prescribing three years of office for the ARMM officials.
They also downplayed claims there is a need for such because of the peace situation involving the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"The ARMM polls should not be made hostage of the on-going peace negotiations between GRP panel and MILF in the guise to synchronize ARMM elections with the May 2013 national elections. Definitely, this is not a sufficient, much less, valid justification to postpone the August 8, 2011 ARMM polls," the petitioners added.
Kida's group asked the high court to order the Comelec to conduct the 7th ARMM elections on the second Monday of September 2011 pursuant to Section 7, Article XVIII of Republic Act 9054, otherwise known as the Organic Act of ARMM.
Macalawi's group, on the other hand, is pushing for the conduct of the polls on August 8, 2011.


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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