The other meaning of Daang Matuwid!

MANILA — We do live in interesting times, which is why the Tourism slogan that the Philippines adopted blares, "It's more fun in the Philippines!" I've been in Manila in the past two days and the people I met in the social circles had only one major topic that they loved to talk about, and it is how the Commission on Election officials shot themselves on the foot! This was apparently editorialized by The Philippine Star last Wednesday. Let me reprint that editorial in full for your perusal.

"After accommodating the administration party and extending its own "non-extendible" deadline, the Commission on Elections should expect no respect for its orders. In previous elections, the Comelec had already seen candidates taking advantage of a loophole in the election rules that allowed them to ignore the deadline for filing the statement of contributions and expenditures or SOCE. To put an end to this, the Comelec issued Resolution no.9991 on Dec.16 last year, setting June 8, 2016 as the "final and non-extendible deadline" for filing the SOCE, or 30-days after the May 9 general elections, as required under Republic Act no.7166.

Major political parties, their standard bearers and running mates complied and met the deadline - except for team Daang Matuwid. And the Comelec, bending over backwards, broke its own resolution and agreed, extending the deadline to June 30 for all candidates, with penalties waived for late filers. The 4-3 vote prompted Christian Robert Lim to quit as head of the poll body's Campaign Finance Office. Lim has lamented that with the extension of the deadline, the Comelec has undermined its own mandate. It has not helped that among the commissioners who voted for an extension was Rowena Guanzon, the former Mayor of Cadiz City whose appointment to the poll body was reportedly endorsed by Liberal Party stalwarts.

Comelec officials have pointed out that apart from LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas, five Senators, 150 Congressmen and 40 Governors would be covered by the SOCE "Amnesty." But where does this leave the thousands of other candidates who exerted effort to meet the deadline? Even Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago who is battling stage four cancer, managed to comply with the deadline set by law."

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista reportedly voted for an extension of the deadline, but with fines imposed. The poll body however voted to let everyone off with no liability for breaking a law. For its part, the LP should realize the damage this case is inflicting on the party. The LP is no fly-by-night group organized merely for one election; it is one of the nation's two most durable political parties. Although the LP is crumbling from the usual post election desertions by turncoats, the party has survived wars and several leadership changes. The party counts freedom fighters and democracy icons among its members. It should not want itself to be seen as a party that gets special treatment when it is in power."

I reprinted The Philippine Star's Wednesday June 22 editorial because it is one of the best editorials ever to come out from the newspaper that I am connected with. The title of this editorial is "Accommodation" but if I were asked to write that piece, I would title it, "What are we in power for?"         

At this point, a case has now been filed before the Supreme Court so that it could rule whether or not the Comelec's resolution to extend this "non-extendible deadline" is valid or not?

If the Supreme Court invalidates the Comelec en banc resolution, then the biggest loser would be the Liberal Party where its recently elected or re-elected members starting with vice presidential bet Leni Robredo, five Senators, that includes Senate President Franklin Drilon and 40 Governors and Mayors could no longer take their oaths of office and therefore they might as well be declared the losers of the May 9 election.

So the whole nation waits for the Supreme Court to make its own en banc ruling for or against the Comelec. If it rules against the Comelec, it would have far reaching political implications. First of all, LP's vice presidential bet Leni Robredo cannot take her seat as Vice President. So will this seat now belong to Senator Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos? If so, there will minus five Senators coming from the LP, and does this means that Senator Serge Osmeña III gets to take his seat in the Senate?

The SC ruling will have local implications as well. Does this mean that Winston Garcia will now be the Governor of Cebu Province? What about Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña? Does he really belong to the LP or BOPK? I'm sure that the Supreme Court would have to come up with its ruling before the end of the month. If it upholds the Comelec, then the LP can heave a sigh of relief that Daang Matuwid really means. "What are we in power for?"

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com