Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Sonny’s complaint delays district bid
By Rose O. Verzosa
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc directed the Mandaue City Government to comment on the opposition filed by Sen. John Osmeña and 14 residents against the petition seeking for the allocation of one legislative seat for the city.
With this, Mandaue City will not yet be submitting its memorandum to Comelec but will, instead, file the required comment. Comelec had earlier directed the local government to file its memorandum, which was supposed to be due last week.
City Attorney Malcolm Seno said Comelec’s previous order is deemed superseded by this new order for them to comment on the opposition filed by Osmeña’s group, which he also received last week.
This is expected to further delay the resolution of Mandaue’s petition because, after filing their comment, the City will again have to wait for further directive from Comelec.
It is also possible that Comelec will call the City and the opposers to a hearing.
Mandaue City is asking the commission, through a petition filed last Oct. 24, to exercise its powers under the ordinance appended to the 1987 Constitution to make the necessary adjustment in the number of members of the House of Representatives.
According to City officials, the allocation of an additional congressional seat is within the power of the Comelec and can be done even without legislation.
But the opposers claimed that Comelec has no jurisdiction to grant or act on the petition because the authority to create a new legislative district solely and exclusively belongs to Congress.
(March 5, 2003 issue)
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