‘The power to declare an area under Comelec control is quite controversial because it can be misused to favor certain candidates.’
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is a collegial body of six commissioners and a chairman. Tasked to oversee the conduct of all elections in the Philippines, this independent body derives its vast power and mandate from the Constitution. In return, the nation looks up to the Comelec to implement all election laws fairly and adequately so that Filipinos may vote into office the leaders that they truly want.
Anywhere power flows and collect, there will most likely be misunderstandings, intrigues and backstabbing. Such is the prevailing situation in Malacañang, that is why it is sometimes called a snake pit. Also in the House of Representatives and the Senate, home to some very powerful individuals, and also to a lesser degree because theirs members are professionals and lawyers, the Supreme Court and the Comelec.
Misunderstanding and intrigues reared their ugly heads recently in the Comelec en banc, when the body, voting 4-3, passed last April 6 Resolution No. 10777, amending Resolutions 10728 and 10757, and recalibrating the rules and regulations on the election gun ban.
The new resolution gives the chairman the power to grant gun ban exemptions and place areas under Comelec’s control, formerly the turf of Commissioner Socorro Inting, chair of the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC). Inting resigned from the committee “in protest,” and was joined by Commissioners Marlon Casquejo and Aimee Ferolino in rejecting the new policy. Those who voted for Resolution No. 10777 were newly appointed Commissioners Rey Bulay, George Garcia and Aimee Neri along with Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan.
The power to declare an area under Comelec control is quite controversial because it can be misused to favor certain candidates. Pangarungan has vowed to use it sparingly, and will not take any action without the recommendation of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The power to give gun ban exemptions is not a big deal because the poll body has always granted exemptions to top government officials, those with security concerns, and in meritorious cases.
Dissenting opinions and votes as well as division of the house are traditions in parliamentary procedures, and Chairman Pangarungan admits that these are basic characteristics of a democracy.
This is why he immediately moved to assuage the feelings of Inting and her group, dousing cold water to any feverish and fractious tendency among members of the en banc.
Dissent, the Comelec chief said, is an integral element of democracy. “As a member of a Commission that enables our democratic exercise, I welcome the differing opinions and stances of my colleagues. This is part and parcel of our sacred duty to the nation as a collegial body.”
“I have nothing but respect for the valuable work done by all our commissioners, especially, by Commissioner Inting in the CBFSC and all the committees that ensure the conduct of honest, peaceful, and credible elections. We are professionals and we will continue to work towards a common goal,” he added.
It is good that the Comelec chairman has a calm and calculated mindset, choosing unity over divisiveness which will ensure that the poll body is functioning well in the run-up to the elections in May.
