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Opposition: Comelec officials must resign |
from the Manila Standard Online
OPPOSITION lawmakers yesterday urged all Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioners to resign or face impeachment after one of them acknowledged their failure to keep the May 2004 polls clean.
At a press briefing yesterday, Minority Leader Francis Escudero urged the poll officials to resign in the light of Commissioner Resurreccion Borra’s admission that cheating was carried out by both sides.
Escudero’s position was backed by Akbayan Rep. Loretta Ann Rosales, who said Borra’s statements could be used to impeach Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos.
Abalos could not be reached for comment, but a Comelec spokesman said Abalos shrugged off Borra’s statement.
“The chairman is not reacting to this. He is keeping himself busy. The statement of Borra is not a big issue to us,” said James Arthur Jimenez, Comelec spokesman.
Also yesterday, 16 lawmakers moved against former elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, filing a complaint for perjury, violation of the Passport Act and falsification of documents.
Led by Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, the congressmen filed the case before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office over Garcillano’s claim before a congressional hearing that he did not leave the country at the height of the wiretapping scandal last year. They also claimed Garcillano presented a fake passport to the House as proof.
Remulla said the charges were separate from those filed by Senator Panfilo Lacson and opposition Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano, Joel Villanueva, and Teofisto Guingona III, also before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office on March 24.
He said the new complaint is more detailed than the others and would serve to supplement them.
“We are citing specific instances wherein Garcillano perjured himself,” Remulla said.
Other complainants were Escudero; Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño; Akbayan Reps. Rosales and Ana Theresia Hontiveros Baraquel; An Waray Rep. Florencio Noel; Anak Mindanao Rep. Mujiv Hataman; Partido ng Manggagawa Rep. Renato Magtubo; Reps. Lorenzo Tañada III and Alfonso Umali of the Liberal Party; Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos; Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez; Iloilo Rep. Rolex Suplico; South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino Custodio; Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza; and Laguna Rep. Justin Chipeco.
The complainants included in their 19-page sworn statement transcripts of Garcillano’s testimony during a House investigation of the wiretapping scandal where he repeatedly denied leaving the Philippines contrary to a note verbale issued by the Singaporean government, which said that he arrived in the city-state on July 14, 2005.
“Everything considered, respondent Garcillano made at least 20 untruthful replies during the congressional hearings,” the complaint said.
If found guilty of perjury, Garcillano faces between 6 and 30 years in jail. Violation of the Passport Act, on the other hand, carries a maximum penalty of 15 years.
Joel M. Sy Egco, Rio N. Araja, Jaime Pilapil |
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