Comelec exec: Bedol verdict a warning for erring poll officials

(Updated 4:10 p.m.) The six-month jail sentence on Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol will serve as a warning to other erring poll officials and employees, a member of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc said Tuesday. Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer told reporters that, "Hindi lang naman siya (He's not the only one). There are perhaps others (Comelec personnel) who might be found guilty of whatever offense they have committed." He said the poll body's decision on Bedol's indirect contempt case is one step the commission has undertaken "to cleanse their ranks" as he assured that Task Force Maguindanao which he heads will continue with its investigations. "Comelec also deserves respect not only from the voters but most especially our employees. Like Attorney Bedol is a high ranking official of the Comelec. He is a provincial election supervisor, that's a high position," he said. He added: "And since we found he appears to have lost respect to the institution; the institution, in an attempt for self-preservation, will have to show that the commission means business to discipline its own people." Ferrer further said the commission en banc will resume investigation and in fact have lined up witnesses. "We have to clean up anomaly that have plagued the commission." He said commissioners would like to erase the notion that in the Philippines no candidates lost, only cheated "Every election daw, same problems crop up sa Maguindanao. I am very sure our brothers would also want to have a clean electoral process so that the people will believe the result of the elections," he said. He said Commission Romeo Brawner is now preparing a line up of those who will be investigated in Lanao del Sur in connection with the May 14 elections. He refused to give further details. Comelec on Tuesday declared Bedol guilty of indirect contempt for defying summonses to hearings on the controversial vote in Maguindanao province. Ferrer said the provincial election supervisor failed to explain the charges they filed against him. "He was not able to explain why he should not be charged. Even [if the charges as Bedol claimed were hearsay] he did not deny it. He refused to explain it. We gave him chance to explain [but] he refused," he said. The commissioner said the bail that Bedol will be posting is valid for a limited period of time to give him time to file a motion for reconsideration. Ferrer said they will give Bedol five days to file his motion and appeal his case. When a motion has been filed, the bail would be valid until the final resolution of his appeal. However, if they fail to file a motion within the prescribed period, Bedol will be arrested and brought to the Manila City Jail. As of posting time, Bedol's lawyer is yet to decide where they would file the motion. He is mulling to bring the case to the Supreme Court to question the jurisdiction of Comelec to hear the case. Ferrer also said the commission is also "contemplating of filing an administrative case against Bedol for violation of the Civil Service Code this afternoon or tomorrow." Meanwhile, a militant party-list lawmaker denounced the punishment slapped against Bedol, saying this was a mere slap on the wrist. Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros Baraquel, in a statement, said the "Comelec should have charged him with electoral sabotage, which, under the election automation law (Republic Act 8436), is punishable by life imprisonment." She added that "initiation" of complaints on electoral offenses "may be done [by the Comelec] motu propio" under Section 3, Rule 34 of the poll body's Rules of Procedure. "For an extraordinary swindler whose fraudulent acts during the 2004 and 2007 elections have been committed with impunity, the sentence is grossly insufficient and insulting ... Comelec is clearly treating Bedol with a velvet glove, proving once again that the Commission is coddling election saboteurs," Baraquel said. - GMANews.TV