Tomas told: Explain SRP signs
Sunday, August 1, 2010
More Sections
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 ordered former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña to answer within 10 days the complaint One Cebu party filed against him, for those anti-Capitol signs at the South Road Properties (SRP).
The signs, put up days before the May 10 elections, violated the Omnibus Election Code, One Cebu said.
The complaint accused Osmeña, now Cebu City south district representative, of committing at least six counts of election offenses defined under Section 261 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, Sections 3 and 9 of Republic Act 9006 and Sections 8 and 21 of Comelec Resolution 8758.
Updates on President Benigno Aquino III's presidency
Comelec 7 Legal Officer Enerio Ocariza told Sun.Star Cebu he served the subpoena at the Osmeña residence in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City last July 30. Comelec’s Law Deparment received the complaint in Manila last June 4.
The order required the former mayor to answer within 10 days.
“I just want to clarify that we only conduct the investigation, then endorse the findings and recommendations to Comelec Central Office legal department. They will assess the findings and it would be up to them to approve the recommendations,” Ocariza said.
In a separate interview, Osmeña admitted he received the summons last Friday.
“Yeah, I received it yesterday. We are going to prepare an answer for that, you know. Sige na lang, we will answer it. Dili ko mohatag ug comment sa detalye, I’ll let my lawyer answer it,” he said in a text message yesterday.
The congressman, in an earlier interview, said he didn’t see anything wrong with the signs put up at SRP before the elections.
He also denied allegations he had a hand in putting up the signs.
One of the signs read: “This way to S.U.P. (South Underwater Properties).” It was apparently a dig at the Capitol’s purchase of the Balili property in the City of Naga, part of which later turned out to be underwater or mangrove patches.
Atty. Ocariza said they will assess Osmeña’s answer and call for a preliminary investigation, if needed. (With ETB)
