Lawyer seeks disqualification of six presidential bets

A lawyer on Monday formally asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify the six presidential candidates who were previously identified to have violated rules covering campaign materials. "The Comelec should order its deputies to dismantle or destroy the prohibited billboards or posters. The imposition of penalty can come after conviction," said lawyer Oliver Lozano in his four-page petition. Earlier, the Comelec Education and Information Department (EID) documented several campaign materials of Senator Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party), former president Joseph M. Ejercito Estrada (Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino-UNO), Senator Richard J. Gordon (Bagumbayan), Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD), evangelist Eddie C. Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas), and Senator Manuel B. Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party) which were either oversized or posted or installed in areas where these are prohibited. Lozano said he filed the petition after the poll body failed to prosecute the candidates because of the lack of a formal complaint. "Widely publicized is that the presidential candidates were identified and found by the Comelec to have violated the prohibited forms of election propaganda," said the lawyer, who has been known to file a lot of publicized legal suits. He invoked Section 4 of the Comelec Rules of Procedures which says: "Initiation of complaint for election offenses may be done motu proprio by the Commission of upon written complaint by any citizen of the Philippines, candidate, registered political party, coalition of political parties or organzations under the party-list system or any accredited citizens arms of the Constitutions." Resolution 8758 requires candidates to put up their advertisements on common poster areas like plazas, markets, and barangay centers. Party-list groups and political parties are only allowed to construct 12 x 16 feet poster areas while independent candidates may only erect 4 x 6 feet poster areas or its equivalent. The resolution also requires that posters should not exceed 2 x 3 feet while streamers should not be more than 3 x 8 feet. Violation of Resolution 8758 is an election offense, which is punishable by one to six years imprisonment, disenfranchisement, and disqualification from holding public office. The EID also found vice presidential candidates Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and former Metro Manila Development Authority chief Bayani Fernando and senatorial aspirants Senator Lito Lapid, Atty. JV Bautista, and broadcaster Rey Langit to be in violation of the restrictions on campaign materials. The Comelec has deputized the Department of Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metro Manila Development Authority to help them tear down illegal propaganda materials. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV