OPPOSITION lawmakers blasted Saturday the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for proposing to hold the upcoming national elections for two days.
Isabela Representative Rodolfo Albano III said the idea of holding a two-day elections broached by Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista “is a recipe for chaos” as the Filipino voters are not prepared for it and it may violate the Constitutional provision that set the day of the elections.
Bautista earlier said latest Supreme Court ruling, which ordered the poll body to issue ballot receipt from the vote counting machine (VCM), affected their preparations for the conduct of the general elections.
Albano said the Comelec has no recourse but to obey the high court since the issuance of ballot receipts is mandated by the Automated Election Law.
“What can we do if the Supreme Court mandates it? Let us just respect and find ways to implement its decision. Anyway, it is intended to ensure the transparency and integrity of the May 9 elections,” Albano said.
The lawmaker from Isabela welcomed the SC’s decision mandating the Comelec issue ballot receipts to voters in the May 9 polls since it will not only promote transparency but will also assure the public that the election is fraud free.
Albano hopes that the Comelec will be able to carry out its mandate within the bounds of the law.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the presidential election will be held during the second Monday of May of that election year.
Senatorial candidate and Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez decried the airing of possible no-election scenario by the poll body branding this as “unacceptable and unthinkable.”
“It is the mandate of the Comelec to ensure that the will of the people is respected and protected. The challenge is for them to safeguard the country’s democracy. No-el scenario will only create chaos and damage our democratic system,” Romualdez said.
Aside from the proposed two-day election day, Bautista lamented the possibility of postponing the elections as an offshoot of the high court’s to activate the printing of the voter receipt feature of the VCMs, arguing that this will require additional time.
He said Comelec is duty-bound to push through with the elections as mandated by poll automation law, adding the body should also implement the SC order for VCMs in the name of transparency.
Romualdez said the poll body “is mandated to push with the elections and is also duty-bound to follow the SC ruling.”
“We all know that fraud and all forms of irregularity and even no-el (no elections) are unacceptable and even unthinkable so I am confident that the Comelec would eventually find ways on how to address this situation… we hope and pray that the elections will be peaceful and orderly,” said Romualdez. (Sunnex)