— Senate President Franklin Drilon opens the 3rd and last Regular Session of the 16th Congress on Monday (July 27, 2015) at the Senate Building in Pasay City. The Senate will hold a joint session with the House of Representatives Monday afternoon to hear the last and 6th State-of-the- Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno S. Aquino III. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senate President Franklin Drilon on Monday the Commission on Elections to decide as soon as possible on the disqualification cases filed against presidential aspirants Senator Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
“To ensure the conduct of a free, fair and credible election next year, I am calling on Chairman Andres Bautista and the members of the Comelec to rule at the soonest on the petitions against Poe and Duterte on the basis of the merits presented by the parties involved,” said Drilon in a press statement.
Poe and Duterte are both facing disqualification cases before the Comelec which the latter is set to discuss this day.
Drilon said there will be serious doubts on the integrity of next year’s elections if the cases will remain unresolved.
“The election is a basic tenet of democracy and any threat to it should be immediately resolved by the Comelec, being the sole body that has a Constitutional mandate to supervise the conduct of a free, fair and credible election in the country,” Drilon said.
He said Comelec chairman Andres Bautista should fulfill his patriotic duty and lead the Comelec in immediately providing a fair resolution to the petitions.
Drilon added the early resolution of the petitions against Poe and Duterte will give the Supreme Court sufficient time to review and urgently render its verdict on the cases.
“Whatever the Comelec’s decision on the cases may be, I am sure that these will be brought before the Supreme Court for its final decision on the matter. The prompt action of the Comelec will give the high tribunal enough time to put these cases to rest,” he said.
“It cannot be left hanging. The earlier the poll body can decide, the better it will be for the country,” he added.
The Senate chief said the continuing uncertainty over the lack of resolution over these cases creates unnecessary political tensions.
Drilon said there are groups that may take advantage of the inability of the Comelec to immediately resolve the petitions to spread lies and disrupt the conduct of peaceful and credible elections in the country.
“The talks of election delays are nothing but a part of sinister efforts peddled by certain quarters that are out to put a doubt on the minds of the public regarding the 2016 elections. We must not to fall into that trap,” he said. (MNS)