The Philippine Star

Comelec must act on election petitions

- CECILLE LOPEZ,

The people must be wondering: why does the Comelec remain mum amid protests warring political rivals are heaping on each other this past election?

Perhaps it is high time we nudge the Comelec chairman awake. The most pressing case on his table is the dispute over the second highest position in the land between Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Bongbong Marcos.

Another matter getting the cold shoulder from the Comelec is the appeal of former MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino against former DOJ Secretary Leila De Lima. The two both ran for senator last May and the latter is now sitting. Once more, the poll commission appears mum, if not immobile on this. What we must remember is that swift resolution is expected not just by the contesting parties but by the nation at large.

In the final analysis, we just want the rightful victors to take their deserved place, regardless of whether we voted for them or not: something the respectabl­e Comelec commission­ers must be taken to task for.

There is a local saying that goes (and we’re taking some translatin­g liberties here) the nail won’t burrow itself; you have to hit it on the head. The proverbial hammer may come in the form of relentless Commission­er Rowena Guanzon, along with her colleagues in the commission.

Though the poll-related tiffs between Marcos-Robredo and Tolentino-De Lima – virtual stalemates which people have been losing patience over – admittedly need careful considerat­ion, the same cannot be said of the more glaring inconsiste­ncies in the party-list race. More specifical­ly, the following entities are facing disqualifi­cation cases that are near-impossible to contest: ACTS-OFW, CIBAC, 1CARE, 1-ANG EDUKASYON, and TUCP, first- time offenders all, most of whom allegedly having questionab­le actions regarding their nomination­s and nominees.

The biggest conundrum facing Chairman Bautista and his commission­ers in the party- list race, however, is Senior Citizens Partylist. Imagine: two victorious elections, no actual nominees taking up seats, their pitiful sector left to fend for themselves. — Pasig City

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines