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Friday, January 16, 2004
Kintanar: Comelec officials should not relax
By June Kintanar
Because of my experience regarding government contracts involving millions or billions of pesos, I initially decided not to comment anymore about the so-called Comelec scandal. To recall, almost all transactions involving big money meet the same fate. Meaning, incidents like it no longer surprise me.
But some observers noted that since the incident concerns not just the integrity of Commission on Election (Comelec) officials but also of democracy and the country itself, it is a moral obligation on my part to give it my two-cents worth of opinion.
Ordinarily, and after due process, parties to a contract the Supreme Court declares null and void are fired or at least suspended from office. But one should take note that since Comelec is a constitutional office, its chairman and commissioners can be removed only by impeachment. And we know how long the process will be.
Since we are facing a crucial election on May 10, the order of the day naturally would be for Comelec to see to it that the activity will go on as scheduled. Canceling or even just postponing it will spell a bigger disaster for our country.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself said that her immediate concern is the holding of the elections on the scheduled date. Political leaders, candidates and other responsible citizens share this view. Of course, this is as it should be.
Even if we have to go back to square one, meaning to the old manual system of voting and counting, the important thing is for the elections to proceed. Somehow, government must not give the usual troublemakers the slightest reason to again mount destabilization attempts against the government at this very crucial moment.
As early as now, there are reports of “unusual movements” among some sectors in the military. There may not be any truth to these talks, but the military must be reminded that its primary duty is to protect the people and uphold the Constitution. After all, the case involving the Comelec may not be enough reason for its elements to create trouble and further destabilize our political situation. Filipinos need such kind of action like they need a hole in the head.
On the other hand, the Comelec officials responsible for the present fiasco should not relax. They might think that since the holding of the elections is all that the President and other officials want, they can already start taking things easy. No sir.
The truth of the matter is that they are still facing a big problem—perhaps even the biggest problem in their lives. In other words, they should realize that their responsibility not only involves what the President and other officials said.
Besides, what they said was merely their immediate reaction. And, to use a lawyer’s reasoning, these initial statements are without prejudice to the filing of charges against them.
One should note that among the orders of the Supreme Court in its recent decision is for the ombudsman to investigate the matter and hale all involved to court. Not only that. The High Tribunal directed the solicitor general to find ways to get back the government money already paid to the supplier of the automated counting machines, Mega Pacific Consortium. And according to lawyers I talked to, Mega Pacific has the duty to return the money.
The problem is, unsaon pa man pag-uli sa kwarta kon ila nang gibahin?
(January 16, 2004 issue)
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