Enrile chides parties floating poll failure scenario

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Tuesday chided parties who are floating the failure of elections scenario. "I do not know why are they so preoccupied with the so-called failure of election. I have no fear that the election will fail. I don’t think it will," he told reporters. Under Section 6 of the Omnibus Election Code, a failure of election can only happen if voting in any polling place is not held on election day or is suspended before voting officially closes or even before results are transmitted, affecting the overall results of the nationwide election. Some sectors raised the possibility of failure of elections due to the glitches in the preparations being conducted by the Comelec. Enrile was also not alarmed with the reported malfunction of automated voting machines during Monday’s testing. “I am not alarmed. If there’s failure of the PCOS [precinct count optical scan] machines to function properly, let the Comelec say so that something is wrong," he said. He further said that it is now too late for those wanting to replace him as Senate President to allegedly prevent a vacuum if ever there is a failure of elections. Enrile reiterated that he is ready to step down if his colleagues can present to him enough number of senators who wanted him out. However, the senators have to ask President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo first for a special session to convene the Congress between Tuesday and Friday. "But given the time constraint, it is almost impossible to accede to their request. All the members of the House of Representatives are now busy campaigning, especially the local level. Both Houses must be in session in order for the Senate to elect a new Senate President," he said. "It’s too late in the day to call for a special session of Congress," Enrile reiterated. Senator Edgardo Angara earlier noted that the terms of President Arroyo, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and House Speaker Prospero Nograles would all expire on June 30. He believed this means nobody would be at the country’s helm after that in case of an election failure. "It’s an imperative for the survival of the republic." Section 7, Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution states that "where no President and Vice President shall have been chosen or shall have qualified, or where both shall have died or become permanently disabled, the President of the Senate or, in case of his inability, the [House Speaker], shall act as President until a President or a Vice President shall have been chosen and qualified." "[If] we broke the succession line… there will be a vacancy, a political vacuum… There are suggestions that while the Senate is still whole, we should choose a new [Senate] president whose term does not end on June 30," said Angara, a former Senate President. His term will end on 2013. Other senators, on the other hand, believed there is no need to elect a new Senate President. [See: No need to elect new Senate president, senators say] - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV