A tale of 2 election law violators

Comelec’s Grace Padaca hit the nail on the head when she said that no bigwig ever goes to jail for an election-related offense.

Only ordinary offenders feel the full force of the election law.

Padaca cited the case of Jeffrey Astero of Mankayan town in Benguet province.

The 20-year-old Astero was sentenced to five years in prison after he was caught carrying bullets during the Comelec gun ban for the May 2013 midterm elections.

Astero, however, said he found the bullets beside the road and had placed them in his pocket.

He was arrested, along with other teenagers, who were accused of destruction of property.

Asero was later charged with the graver crime of illegal possession of explosives in connection with the election ban after the police frisked him and found the bullets.

Astero went on trial for three months and was promptly convicted.

Padaca said Astero, who didn’t know the gun ban was in effect, is about to be brought to New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.

*   *   *

In contrast, Senior Supt. Elnora Bernardino, former Palawan provincial director, was charged with violating the election law in 1998 although her case is still ongoing.

Bernardino’s offense: She issued mission orders to the goons of a Palawan official running for reelection so they could carry guns.

The police arrested the goons and charged them with violation of an election law, along with Bernardino who signed their mission orders.

Only the Comelec has the authority to allow policemen, soldiers and civilians to carry guns during the election period.

Bernardino’s case has been lying dormant in the Puerto Princesa regional trial court for 15 years.

*   *   *

Sources say a very influential religious sect to which Bernardino belongs allegedly applied pressure on the judiciary to archive her case so she can be acquitted on a technicality later on.

The principal witness against Bernardino, retired Supt. Feliciano Dimayuga, has since died due to an illness.

Dimayuga, the Puerto Princesa police chief at that time, had ordered the arrest of the gun-wielding goons who were intercepted at a checkpoint.

*   *   *

Now, who committed a graver offense: Astero, an ignoramus who was caught with bullets in his pockets during an election gun ban, or Bernardino, who knowingly violated the election gun ban by issuing permits to carry firearms 15 years ago?

Why should Bernardino be spared while Astero is now serving time for an election offense?

*   *   *

Officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications and Department of Tourism, take heed and be ashamed of yourselves:

Palawan Gov. Jose “Pepito” Alvarez recently ordered the installation of a 15-ton generator set for the air-conditioning system at the Puerto Princesa airport after he saw hundreds of passengers suffering from the furnace-like heat inside the building.

The airport terminal’s air-conditioning system had been malfunctioning and Alvarez, a billionaire, dug into his own pockets to fix the problem.

Palawan province is now the country’s No. 1 tourist destination.