Ballot printing must be postponed pending SC decision on Poe—Drilon

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) should postpone the printing of the ballots for the 2016 elections while waiting for the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision on the disqualification cases against Senator Grace Poe, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Thursday.

Drilon noted that the January 19, 2016 schedule of the SC was only to hear the oral arguments on a petition filed by Rizalito David seeking to unseat Poe as senator, and did not include yet the four other disqualification cases pending at the Comelec that seek to disqualify her, this time, from joining the 2016 presidential race.

READ: SC orders Poe, SET to answer David’s petition on disqualification case

“The SET (Senate Electoral Tribunal) decision only concerned the citizenship issue, it did not touch the residency issue, which is in the Comelec so I’m concerned that the January 19 oral arguments schedule is a little tight,” he said during a weekly forum at the Senate.

“I hope that at that point, the Comelec decision is already in the SC for review. Right now, the Comelec is deciding en banc on the two decisions of the first and the second (divisions). The moment they decide on that, it will be brought to the SC and hopefully, this is brought up to the SC in time so that the two decisions—meaning the Comelec and the SET—can all be heard on January 19…” said the Senate leader.

After the oral argument on January 19, Drilon said the two parties involved are usually given 10 days to submit a memorandum.

So at the earliest, he said, the cases against Poe might be submitted for resolution by the end of January 2016.

“Now, remember that we have to print the ballots, there are over 1, 400 variations of the ballot because there are over 1, 400 municipalities in this country with different candidates…” said Drilon.

“So the schedule is very, very tight. That’s why I’m concerned like every responsible citizen of our country I hope that we can pull it off at the right time. Because the implication of not doing in time will be difficult to imagine,” he further said.

However, when asked about the possibility that SC could not come up with a decision before the scheduled printing of the ballots, Drilon said: “Well, the Comelec just have to postpone the printing of the ballot and just (work) double time…”

“We hope that the the Comelec can postpone the start of the printing and await the SC decision and the SC must decide it as soon as practicable.”

Drilon said the Comelec was also in “limbo” as it has to decide whether or not to include in the ballots the names of candidates who have pending disqualification cases like Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

READ: Poe, Duterte bids in limbo

“The Comelec is really in a bind. Why? They decide either way, it will (go) to the Supreme Court. Whatever they decide… the petition will go the Supreme Court. Aakyat yan (It will be raised),” he said.

What the Comelec should do now, he said, is to start thinking how far it can push back the printing of the ballots.

“I don’t want to be in their shoes at this point because things are not within your control e. They are also in limbo, the Comelec,” said Drilon.

“They just have to decide and pray…They decide and pray that everything will be decided in a timely manner,” he added. RAM

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