Friday, March 16, 2007 Cadungog to be reassigned to Cebu City Comelec
REGIONAL Director Rey Rene Buac revealed yesterday he has recommended for Provincial Supervisor Edwin Cadungog’s temporary transfer to the Cebu City South District, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has yet to act on it.
He also recommended that Cadungog be replaced temporarily by Regional Attorney Lionel Marco Castillano.
In a radio DyLA interview, Buac explained it’s necessary to transfer election officers as it would not be good if they stay in one place for so long.
But the transfer will be temporary and both Cadungog and Castillano will be returned to their old posts after the May 14 election, he added.
Apart from transfers, telephone access is another matter Comelec has to work on to improve its operations.
(Complaint)
The Cebu Provincial Come-lec will file a complaint before the National Telecommunications Commission for the alleged failure of Globe Telecommunications to reactivate its telephone line even after their bill was settled.
Cadungog said he will file the complaint today.
One Comelec line was disconnected in May 2004 for unsettled bills. That same month, they received a check from Comelec Manila and paid for the bills.
However, the telephone line was never reactivated up to now. Worse, Globe allegedly keeps on billing their office even if they have not been using the line for almost three years.
A letter dated Feb. 9, 2007 showed that Cadungog requested Globe to reconnect their phone line and, for as long as the phone line cannot be used, to stop asking Comelec to pay the monthly bill.
Cadungog said it was not the first letter they sent Globe.
“Kung inyong tan-awon sa Globe, makita ninyo nga daghan na kaayo among complaints didto,” Cadungog said.
This is also not the first time the Comelec provincial office has suffered from the lack of phones.
In May 1999, it lost its phone line over an unsettled bill, after failing to get any money from Manila.
In 2001, an election year, it had to share an extension line with its adjacent office, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office.
Cadungog admitted the delay in the delivery of checks from Manila has caused their bills to accumulate, as well as long-distance and cellular phone calls that are not official. (MBG)
