Comelec clears JdV of vote-buying rap

By May 13, 2007Headlines, News

Finds no Omnibus Election Law violation

THE Commission on Elections, in an en banc resolution, has cleared Speaker Jose de Venecia and the Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas CMD) of vote-buying charges.

The en banc decision was promulgated late Thursday afternoon, removing what Lakas CMD legal counsel Raul Lambino described from the start as a “nuisance case” filed by Mayor Benjamin Lim to stop a De Venecia bandwagon in the race for Pangasinan’s fourth congressional district.

The case stemmed from the distribution of Lakas-CMDs membership cards nationwide that carries insurance coverage and other benefits for bonafide members.

Meanwhile, the case filed by the de Venecia camp against Lim, also for alleged vote-buying as corroborated by 97 witnesses, is still being heard as of press time by the Comelec provincial office.

The Commission resolved to adopt en toto the recommendation of the poll body’s law department, which cited Lambino’s argument that the cards are not election related   “in the sense that the effectivity began on October 17 and up to June 30, 2008 and not particularly geared to the May 14, 2007 elections.”

Furthermore, the law department also said the cards were given to party members “who are already captive voters.”

The cards’ beneficiaries include the Lakas-CMD poll campaigners and poll watchers who, “under the law, are entitled to reasonable allowances or compensation even during the campaign period for the services they are giving to the party and or its candidates in the national and local elections.”

The poll body adopted the ruling that the membership cards constitute “lawful expenditures under Section 102 of the Omnibus Election Code and not vote-buying under Section 261 of the same Code.”

The en banc resolution of the poll body was signed by Chairman Benjamin S. Abalos Sr. and Commissioners Resurreccion Borra, Florentino Tuason, Jr., Romeo Brawner, Rene Sarmiento and Nicodemo Ferrer.

FAIR AND JUST

Reacting to the Comelec en banc resolution, Lambino said: “The ruling is fair and just. This is what we have expected because the Lakas membership cards are intended for party members who serve as poll campaigners, poll watchers and do other poll-related duties for the party and its candidates,” Lambino said.

The party, of which de Venecia is national president, has 2.75 million members nationwide.

The distribution of the membership cards with expiry date on June 30, 2008 started in October last year and include insurance coverage, among other benefits.

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