Elections in limbo

The chairman of the Commission on Elections has a wish: that with the 2016 general elections just five months away, the poll body would be consulted before the Supreme Court stops the implementation of crucial Comelec programs.

This, of course, is like wishing for the moon. The law is what the Supreme Court says it is, and it does not consult anyone or any office that is the subject of a petition for a temporary restraining order. Last week the SC issued a TRO, putting in limbo the “no bio, no boto” program of the Comelec. The poll body had launched an information campaign for about a year, warning voters that they would be disenfranchised in 2016 if they did not have their biometrics taken.

Yesterday Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista warned that the TRO could set back election preparations so seriously that the May 2016 polls might have to be postponed. The “no elections” or “no-el” scenario can invite another popular revolt in this country, but if the Comelec cannot legitimately continue its preparations, what are its options?

The high tribunal may consider the Comelec chief’s comment an attempt to influence the court, but the concern he raised is valid. Legal challenges to preparations for the general elections must be settled quickly. There are steps to be followed for the orderly conduct of the polls.

Several major Comelec policies and decisions, notably those on the party list and the conduct of election campaigns including financing have been overturned by the SC. The TRO on the “no bio, no boto” program is the latest setback for the Comelec. The nation cannot afford to have the poll body’s worst-case scenario materialize.