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NAIS ipatigil ng isang grupo ng petitioners sa Korte Suprema ang nagaganap na vote canvassing at balak na pagpoproklama kay presumptive President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., ng National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) – Congress.
Hiniling sa naturang petisyon sa Supreme Court na ikansela at ideklarang ‘void ab initio’ o hindi balido ang Certificate of Candidacy ni Marcos Jr.
Nakasaad ang mga hirit sa 70-pahinag petition for certiorari na inihain sa Kataas-taasang Hukuman ng mga petitioner na sina Father Christian Buenafe, Fides Lim at iba pa, na nauna nang humiling na kanselahin ang kandidatura ni Marcos Jr.
Nakalagay rin sa petisyon ang kahilingan na mag-isyu ang Supreme Court ng temporary restraining order (TRO) sa ginaganap na canvassing at proklamasyon kay Marcos Jr., ng NBOC-Congress na magsisimula sa susunod na linggo.
“A candidate’s putative election victory cannot subsequently cure his ineligibility. Elections are more than just a numbers game such that an election victory cannot bypass election eligibility requirements,” saad sa petisyon.
Si Marcos Jr., ay convicted sa kaso kaugnay ng kanyang income tax returns (ITRs) mula 1982 hanggang 1985 kaya’t siya’y “ineligible to run for public office” at kahit batid niya ito ay idineklara pa rin niya sa kanyang COC na eligible siyang kandidato at ito’y “material misrepresentation,” ayon sa mga petitioner.
CANVASS TULOY
— RODRIGUEZ
SINABI ni Deputy Speaker at Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez ngayon, may mandato ang Kongreso na ituloy ang pagbilang ng boto ng presidente at bise presidente maliban kung ipahihinto ng Korte Suprema.
“We have a constitutional duty to perform, and we should do it unless the Supreme Court stops us,” ani Rodriguez pagkatapos malaman sa balita na nasa Korte Suprema na ang mga disqualification cases laban kay Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Ayon kay Rodriguez, nakasaad sa Saligang Batas: Paragraph 4 of Section 4 of Article VII on the Executive Department, ang probisyon na nagsasabing ang “returns of every election for President and Vice President, duty certified by the board of canvassers of each province or city, shall be transmitted to the Congress, directed to the President of the Senate. Upon receipt of the certificates of canvass, the President of the Senate shall, not later than thirty days after the day of the election, open all certificates in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session, and the Congress, upon determination of the authenticity and due execution thereof in the manner provided by law, canvass the votes.”
Inilahad ni Rodriguez: “The person having the highest number of votes shall be proclaimed elected, but in case two or more shall have an equal and highest number of votes, one of them shall forthwith be chosen by the vote of a majority of all the Members of both Houses of the Congress, voting separately.”
Malinaw, aniya, ang Saligang Batas sa utos na ito sa Kongreso at nagtakda ng oras para rito.
“Clearly, the Constitution directs us to do the canvass. It even sets a timeline. We have to carry out this mandate, unless and until there is a restraining order from the Supreme Court,” ani Rodriguez.
Nagbabala si Rodriguez sa mga sektor na may layuning ipariwara ang canvassing.
“The tabulation should proceed smoothly and speedily, after which, Congress should determine and proclaim the winners,” aniya. (GERRY BALDO)
