Comelec hit for colluding with losing party-list bet

A party-list representative last Monday night accused the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of conspiring with a losing party-list candidate to unseat and have him replaced.

In a privilege speech, Senior Citizens Rep. Godofredo Arquiza accused Francisco Datol Jr. of plotting to unseat him in the House of Representatives so that Datol could take his seat. Ironically, Datol is the third nominee of Arquiza’s own party-list.

Arquiza accused Datol of bribing unnamed Comelec officials so that his nomination as party-list representative of the Coalition of Senior Citizens in the Philippines, Inc. (CSCPI) be withdrawn in favor of Datol.

Arquiza said Datol drew an elaborate plan to have him unseat by registering before the Securities and Exchange Commission a party-list group bearing the same name of CSCPI, simply adding the words, “Caloocan Chapter” at the end of the party-list name.

Then, on December 10 last year, Datol, through a certain Charito Carinio, representing herself as the CSCPI corporate secretary, filed before the Comelec a new set of officers, list of members, new office address and a resolution withdrawing Arquiza’s nomination.

Surprisingly, Arquiza said the Comelec gave Datol’s resolution due course as evidenced by the order Comelec gave to Datol’s group to have the resolution published in national newspapers.

“How much (was paid to the Comelec officials), Mr. Speaker?” Arquiza stated during his privilege speech. “If this petition be given due course, as it is now given due course by the Comelec, only in this country can scraps of paper unseat a member of the House of Representatives.”

“They are making a mockery of this House, they are trampling upon the marginalized sector of the senior citizens, they are throwing away the mandate of the almost 1.3 million votes who placed this representation in front of you. But most of all, they are criminals having their way to grab a seat and ridicule the law.”

Arquiza said with the Senior Citizens grabbing the second highest party-list vote with 1.3 million votes, he surmised that Datol wants to have control over their party-list so that he could use its command vote as leverage in dealing with other national political parties in future elections.

“Take note that we have the support of 1.3 million voters. And this command vote easily translates to a slight edge for a national candidate whom this party-list would decide to support. And Mr. Datol is aware of this,” Arquiza said.

The solon asked the House leadership to investigate his allegations and expose the scalawags within the Comelec who have colluded with Datol.

“They should be disrobed. They should be put behind bar,” Arquiza said. Charlie V. Manalo, Daily Tribune