Senate President Franklin M. Drilon’s petition challenging the validity of the election of Manila Mayor Jose "Lito" L. Atienza Jr. as president of the Liberal Party, Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor as chairman, and 11 others to different positions in the party has remained uncalendared for a hearing six days after it was filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), raising fears that it will take a long time before the LP intramurals could be resolved since the seven-man poll body is severely undermanned as the three vacancies for commissioners have remained unfilled.
The poll body’s office of the clerk of court headed by lawyer Josefina dela Cruz said it is the Comelec en banc that will decide when to set Drilon’s petition for a hearing.
The Comelec, it was learned, will hold an en banc hearing at 10 a.m. today on the petition for the annulment of the registration of voters in some areas of Lanao del Sur but nobody could say whether Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. and Commissioners Resurreccion Z. Borra, Romeo Brawner, and Florentino A. Tuason Jr. will tackle the scheduling of a hearing of Drilon’s petition.
It was reported that if the petition will not be calendared today for a hearing, the Comelec is expected to finally set the date of hearing when it meets in an en banc executive session on Tuesday, March 14. (E.T. Suarez)
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