Palace to Comelec: Study implications before imposing P1M bond for nat'l candidates

MANILA, Philippines - While imposing a P1 million bond for all national candidates in the 2010 elections may help "cleanse and unclog" the polls of nuisance candidates, Malacañang on Monday said such a proposal should first be studied closely by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio said he sees the merit in the proposal of Comelec chairman Jose Melo but such plans should still be studied carefully to ensure that it does not violate the Constitution. Claudio noted that some sectors may view the bond as a stumbling block against candidates who may be "financially disadvantaged but earnest in their intentions." "The intent of the bond proposal is laudable. Such a devise to discourage or weed out nuisance candidates at the national level is welcome as it will help cleanse and unclog the electoral process. However, the Chairman is also right in asking the Comelec legal department to carefully study the legal and constitutional implication of such a proposal," Claudio said. Claudio said before it could be adopted, the Comelec must first ensure that it would not infringe on the rights of candidates as such could be an additional imposition or requirement which is not "stipulated by law or the Constitution." "We have to balance the objective of cleaning up the electoral process and the imperative of protecting the rights of all qualified candidates, especially those who may be financially disadvantaged but earnest in their intentions," he said. For her part, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said the Comelec should bear in mind that under the Constitution, anybody who wants to serve can run as long as they meet the requirements. Fajardo said while she agrees that Melo's proposal would be helpful "we must ensure that we do not violate the laws under the Constitution." Melo said he is asking the Comelec legal department to look into his proposal of imposing a P1 million bond for those running for national positions like the president, vice president and senators to help weed out nuisance candidates. He acknowledged that some will be against it and look at it as limiting the candidacies to the rich but he believes that P1 million is small and would help show that a candidate is able to mount a national campaign. - GMANews.TV