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Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Comelec official meted jail term
MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has found Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol guilty of indirect contempt and sentenced him to six months in prison and imposed a fine of P1,000.
In a 21-page decision, the Comelec en banc said Bedol will serve his sentence at the Manila City jail. Bedol will remain in the custody of the Comelec law department until he is delivered to the Manila City jail should he fail to post bail.
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The Comelec said Bedol can still post a bail of P15,000 and appeal the ruling.
Bedol was charged with contempt by the commission for defying summonses to hearings on the questionable votes cast in Maguindanao province in the May 14 elections.
Bedols lawyer Andrei Bon Tagum bewailed the decision of the Comelec en banc and called the penalty as harsh. He also said their next course of action would depend on the decision of the Comelec en banc since he has yet to receive a copy of the ruling.
Tagum, however, said earlier that they may file a motion for reconsideration or go to the Supreme Court (SC) should the commission declare his client guilty.
Bedol, for his part, was nonchalant about the decision saying it is part of the procedure and what really makes him more nervous was when he underwent cataract surgery last month.
Bedol, 54 was accused by the opposition of manipulating the results of election in the province after the administration senatorial candidates scored a 12-0 sweep in Maguindanao.
The commission found Bedol guilty of contempt for his failure to attend the scheduled canvassing of the provincial certificates of canvass (CoC) of Maguindanao on May 22, the reset canvassing on May 30, and the continuation of a hearing of Task Force Maguindanao on June 14 despite due notice.
Another ground was Bedol’s unlawful assumption in the custody of the municipal CoC and other accountable election documents of all Maguindanao towns which should have been delivered to the Comelec offices in Intramuros.
The commission also found Bedol’s action as disrespectful when the latter challenged the poll body to file a case against him in court.
One ground is the “regaling the public through the media with boast of possession of an armory of long firearms and side arms, displaying in public, for all to see…a shiny pistol tucked in a holster and in a combative mode.”
Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer in a separate interview said the commission’s decision simply showed that the Comelec deserved the respect of everybody especially its employees.
“This means the commission means business,” Ferrer added.
Aside from the contempt charges, the Task Force Maguindanao also plans to file administrative charges against Bedol in violation of Civil Service Law and criminal charges for infidelity in the custody of public documents.
Lawmakers on the other hand gave varied reactions on Comelec’s action against Bedol.
The party-list group Akbayan said they may lodge an impeachment complaint against Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. for what they perceived as kid glove treatment in punishing Bedol.
Describing it as just a mere “slap on the wrist,” Akbayan party-list Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel said the possibility of impeaching Abalos was being considered by their group as they expressed disappointment on the Comelec’s verdict.
She said Bedol’s sentence of six months in prison and a P1,000 fine is “grossly insufficient and insulting for an extraordinary swindler whose fraudulent acts during the 2004 and 2007 elections have been committed with impunity.”
“Comelec should have charged him with electoral sabotage, which under the election automation law under Republic Act 8436 is punishable by life imprisonment,” she added.
“The punishment is too light,” said Senator Panfilo Lacson on Comelec’s action against Bedol.
Senator Francis Escudero noted that the Comelec merely penalized Bedol for his non-appearance at the Comelec en banc.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the Comelec had carefully deliberated and taken in all factors on the case of Bedol before deciding on the six-month prison term on the election officer for indirect contempt.
Bunye said the Comelec’s verdict based on what “is called for by the circumstances” and they respect whatever decision the agency makes.
He also said Comelec is an independent constitutional body and that they do not wish to interfere in any of their actions or decisions.
Bunye added that they are also leaving it to the Comelec to decide whether an additional criminal charge is called for. (MSN/JMR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (August 8, 2007 issue)
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