By Philip Tubeza Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 06:01:00 11/21/2010
MANILA, Philippines—Blame it on the DILG.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has withdrawn its order postponing the proclamation of winning “fourth-termers” in the last barangay elections after it discovered the list of these officials submitted by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had errors.
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the list the DILG issued in September containing 4,433 barangay chairs who were supposedly on their third or fourth consecutive terms “was not double checked” and contained errors, with some of those named already being dead.
Because of this, the Comelec is now allowing the proclamation of those officials on the list, if they indeed ran and won in the last elections.
“They will be able to (take their post). It would be up to their opponents (to file a complaint),” Sarmiento said in an interview.
He said the errors in the initial DILG list submitted to the Comelec on Sept. 24 was discovered during a recent House hearing after Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr. pointed out names of barangay chairmen in Dasmarinas City who were “not multi-termers.”
“Did you double check that or you just listed it down? Some of them are even dead … What was your basis?” Sarmiento quoted Barzaga as asking the DILG representative at the hearing.
The DILG official replied that the list was based on their “field reports” but admitted that “there was no double or triple checking” to ascertain the reports’ veracity, Sarmiento said.
He said that Barzaga also faulted the DILG for releasing the list only in September when it could have been done earlier so that there would have been time to double check the list.
“The list was used by the political opponents of those on the list. They campaigned (telling voters) ‘Don’t vote for so-and-so because your votes will end up as stray votes.’ So they lost,” Barzaga added.
Sarmiento said the DILG promised to come out with a “revised list” of barangay officials on their third or fourth terms.
Asked if the Comelec regretted issuing its initial resolution, Sarmiento said: “Honestly, yes because if it was submitted to us long before the elections, we could have checked it.”
The commissioner said that opponents of those who were real fourth termers could still file a complaint with the Comelec even if these erring officials have already taken their oath.
“You can file a petition for quo warranto saying that (the erring official is) ineligible to occupy that position because (he or she) is a third termer in violation of the Local Government Code,” Sarmiento said.
“They can also accuse these officials of an election offense because that is misrepresentation in their certificate of candidacy, which is also a criminal offense,” he added.