Saturday, March 31, 2007 Comelec en banc may rule on Cadungog case
AFTER Acting Provincial Election Supervisor Edwin Cadungog’s refusal to vacate his post, the Comelec 7 decided to leave it to the Comelec en banc to decide on his transfer.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 Director Rene Buac proposed to transfer Cadungog to the Cebu City south district poll office, but the latter questioned the director’s authority to do so.
City Election Officer for the south district and acting Comelec Regional Attorney Lionel Castillano was to replace Cadungog.
“My proposal was to transfer Cadungog to Cebu City but he’s questioning my authority to do that and said that it’s only the Comelec en banc who can transfer him. I agreed with his argument but I didn’t say I have no authority. We’ll just let the en banc resolve it,” Buac told Sun.Star Cebu.
Cadungog was designated acting provincial election supervisor in 2004 by virtue of an en banc resolution.
“He said in his letter that he can be transferred only by virtue of a resolution from the same body. He has a basis and it’s also valid, that is why I’m submitting it to the en banc for them to clarify,” Buac said.
Although candidates have already filed their certificates of candidacy, it is still too early for Cebu’s poll offices to identify areas of concern and areas of immediate concern.
Buac expects to start receiving lists of candidates from the municipal election officers next week yet.
listing
But because it is the Holy Week, they might get the complete listing by the second week of April.
The municipal or city election officer and the local police station chief will have to confer with each other and agree if there is a need to declare their locality an area of concern, Buac said.
In Oriental Negros, the town of La Libertad has been placed under Comelec control following the ambush of some political figures there.
At the Cebu City Comelec office, North District Election Officer Marchel Sarno submitted to the Comelec law department in Manila the list of the 27 candidates who filed their COCs.
He said it is up to the law department to declare who will be considered nuisance and disqualified candidates.
Petitions seeking the disqualification of a candidate may be filed on or before April 3, said Sarno.
As for those who want to withdraw their COCs for substitution, they may do so on or before May 7 but only those who belong to the same party may file their COC as a substitute candidate. (LCR)
