Estrada not yet off the hook in Manila poll protest filed by Lim

Manila City Hall. (Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net)

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada may not be entirely off the hook yet even though the Commission on Elections has junked a disqualification case against him.

The Comelec First Division has directed the agency’s law department to evaluate the election offense allegations raised by losing mayoral candidate Alfredo Lim in his petition against Estrada.

“The law department is directed to examine the evidence on record in this case and determine if a formal preliminary investigation is warranted for violation of election laws,” the resolution said.

The poll body earlier dismissed Lim’s petition to disqualify Estrada as a mayoral candidate in the May 2016 polls, saying it was filed out of time – or eight days after the deadline.

Lim accused his rival of vote-buying and illegal disbursement of public funds.

He claimed that Estrada ordered the purchase of 7,352 tablets in April 2016 to be distributed to the Division of City Schools of Manila for the use of teaching and non-teaching personnel.

He also cited Estrada’s authorization of the release of P 52.5 million to buy food items to be packaged for 150,000 elderly beneficiaries in March 2016, with each bag worth P350.

The Comelec, in ordering the law department to look into the case, said it would want to make sure that election laws were not violated and that offenders would be held accountable.

“The violations enumerated as grounds for disqualification of a candidate are also election offenses,” the resolution said. “Thus, the grounds raised in this petition may constitute criminal violation of election law that may properly be investigated by the Comelec.”

In his defense, Estrada denied that he engaged in vote buying.

The tablets, he said, were procured through the required public bidding and were distributed to public school teachers for official use.

Meanwhile, the food items were not distributed to the senior citizens since the procurement process was not completed, Estrada added.

Vote buying is defined by the Omnibus Election Code as giving, offering, or promising money or anything of value to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community to induce them to vote for or against any candidate.

It is tantamount to committing an election offense and may mean a penalty of one to six years imprisonment, disqualification to hold public office, and deprivation of the right of suffrage. /atm