Comelec orders probe of Masbate poll officer over BSKE lapse
FILE PHOTO: City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) personnel rush to clean the ballot boxes for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) at the Quezon City Hall compound on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) ordered an administrative investigation against an election officer in Masbate for possible insubordination.
The move stemmed from the alleged failure of Magdie Moran, Election Officer (EO) IV of Masbate’s Aroroy town, to remove the name of a disqualified candidate from the certified list of candidates for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Based on an excerpt from the minutes of the Comelec’s executive session, Moran was directed to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of a certain Aniano Pancho Capinig, who was running for Punong Barangay (Barangay Captain) in Barangay Cabas-an, Aroroy.
The instruction came after the Comelec Second Division disqualified Capinig due to a previous conviction for violating Section 31 of Republic Act No. 10591 or Illegal Possession of Firearms.
In the recently concluded BSKE, Capinig obtained the highest number of votes in the polls for barangay captain, but the Comelec eventually declared them as “stray votes.” The Comelec said the candidate who garnered the next highest number of votes will be proclaimed as Barangay Captain.
“However, this Department received reports that the name of Mr- Capinig was not deleted/removed/canceled from the Certified List of Candidates and that the EO of Aroroy, Masbate merely suspended his proclamation,” the poll body said.
The Comelec stressed that it is “undisputed” that Capinig’s COC was administratively canceled and that his name should have been deleted or removed from the Certified List of candidates.
It lamented that Moran failed to implement its order “despite having enough time to delete/remove/cancel his name in the certified List of candidates.”
Hence, the Comelec en banc adopted the law department’s recommendation to conduct an administrative investigation against Moran.
Comelec chair George Garcia told reporters that if proven, Moran may be removed from office due to gross insubordination.
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