Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin S. Abalos Sr. and other Comelec officials welcomed yesterday the projected investigation by the Ombudsman on the R1.3-billion poll automation contract, saying it will give them a chance to ventilate their side and clear their names on the issue.
The investigation was set by newly appointed Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez pursuant to the decision of the Supreme Court which declared the nullity of the poll body’s contract with Mega-Pacific.
Gutierrez said that aside from Abalos, also to be investigated are Comelec Commissioners Rufino S.B. Javier, Mehol K. Sadain, Florentino A. Tuason Jr., and Resurreccion Z. Borra, who all signed the contract with Mega-Pacific.
To be included in the investigation are former Commissioners Luzviminda Tancangco and Ralph Lantion. They also signed the contract but they were already retired when the High Court declared the contract null and void for being contrary to law.
Commissioner Romeo A. Brawner is not among those to be investigated as he was not yet with the Comelec when the contract was signed.
Abalos and other poll officials said they welcome the investigation as they believe they had not violated any law when they signed the contract.
They said had the Supreme Court not voided the contract, the May 10, 2004 synchronized national and local elections should have been fully automated.
Abalos bewailed that when the Supreme Court’s decision was issued, the Comelec had no more time to save the poll automation program, leaving them no other alternative but to revert to the manual system.
He said the poll officials and personnel had to work hard day and night to make sure the election will be relatively peaceful, honest, and credible. Local and foreign observers found the results of the last elections truly reflective of the popular will, it was pointed out.
The alleged anomalous contract of the Comelec with Mega-Pacific was exposed by opposition Sen. Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. The Senate later approved the report of its Blue Ribbon Committee headed by Sen. Joker Arroyo calling for the resignation of Abalos and other poll officials.
Comelec officials rejected the call for their resignation, stressing that they had not violated any law relative to the contract. The investigation will enable them to prove that the contract referred to was above-board, it was pointed out.
Poll officials could only be removed by impeachment as specified in the Constitution. (E. T. Suarez)
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