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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Poll results on hold due to Calingin recount
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
ELECTORAL contests in different Misamis Oriental towns would have to be put on hold as the ballot boxes needed are still sealed up in a container van parked at the regional office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 10.
The ballot boxes were supposed to be delivered to Comelec-Manila for the electoral charges filed by former governor Antonio Calingin versus Gov. Oscar Moreno.
Moreno said Calingin should just pay the remaining balance for the recount he was wants Comelec to undertake in Manila.
"Ang ako nalang ana nga iyang bayaran ang iyang kulang (For me what Calingin should do is to pay the remaining balance for the recount)," he said.
Moreno's right-hand man Teddy Sabugaa said there are still several electoral contests that have been filed by some mayoral candidates who believe they were cheated in the last May Elections.
This occurred in several towns in Misamis Oriental like Initao, Balingoan and Kinoguitan among others.
"The same ballots that are locked up inside the container van are needed to resolve these electoral contests," he said.
Because of this situation, Sabugaa said the electoral contests would not be resolved until the matter of the locked up ballots is also resolved.
Calingin was defeated by Moreno by almost 90,000 votes. Calingin, however, said that Moreno rigged the May Elections.
Calingin and his partymates who were defeated then filed charges at Comelec-Manila.
The Comelec-Manila then ordered Calingin to pay over P1 million for the recount but the former governor was only able to pay P700,000.
Because of this, the ballot boxes which were supposed to be shipped to Manila for the recount was held up along with the resolution of the electoral charges filed by Calingin and those by the other defeated municipal candidates.
Atty. Frederico Gapuz, who was Calingin's legal counsel, said this could not be helped.
Though he is not representing the former governor Calingin in this electoral case against Moreno, he said it is the first court that took jurisdiction that should be given top priority.
"I would say this, it is a matter of which court took jurisdiction first...the court will finish with it (electoral contest) first before the others could proceed," he said.
(October 28, 2004 issue)
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