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Unfair
election law
Last Feb. 12, Pres.
Gloria Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No.
9006, officially titled "An Act to Enhance
the Holding of Free, Orderly, Honest, Peaceful
and Credible Elections through Fair Election
Practices."
RA 9006 was passed with
alacrity by Congress just before the campaign
for the vacant Senate seats began. The speed
with which it passed both Houses is
understandable, as you shall see later.
Of the 16 Sections, all
except one provide guidelines for lawful
election propaganda and the lifting of the ad
ban.
Only in Section 14, the
Repealing Clause, would you find three seemingly
innocent sentences. The first sentence reads:
"Sections 67 and 85 of the Omnibus Election
Code (Batas Pambansa Blg. 881) and Sections 10
and 11 of Republic Act No. 6646 are hereby
repealed." The other two sentences referred
to the political ad ban.
Of the four provisions
referred to in the first sentence, three cover
the ad ban. It is the repeal of Section 67 of
the OEC which was inserted by our enterprising
solons, for it provides that "any elective
official, whether national or local, running for
any office other than the one which he is
holding in a permanent capacity, except for
President and Vice President, shall be
considered ipso facto resigned from his office
upon the filing of his certificate of
candidacy."
Thus, of the candidates
who have thus filed their papers with Comelec,
Calatagan barangay captain Nonong Molet,
Cavinitan barangay captain Mike Bagadiong and
PBM Lily Evangelista gets to enjoy the perks of
their office as they campaign for a seat at the
Sangguniang Bayan of Virac. Congressman Jun
Verceles will also get to taste the fruits of
his labor as one of the solons who voted for the
bill.
Already, some
congressmen are said to be bringing the issue to
the Supreme Court as they claimed the insertion
of the repealed provision violated the
Constitution. While they’re at it, we cannot
do anything but follow RA 9006. As other
candidates can only say, life is unfair.
Before the situation degenerates into violence,
municipal governments of Virac, Bato, San Miguel
and San Andres should sit down with the Land
Transportation Office and concerned tricycle
operators and drivers associations to consider a
very ticklish issue: how to treat the entry into
Virac of tricycles from other towns.
The other week, Mayors Cito Alberto and Lorenzo
Templonuevo, Jr. met with drivers from Bato and
Virac and came up with an agreement that Bato
tricycles will be allowed to ferry their
passengers up to their destination but will be
prohibited from picking up passengers while on
their way to a designated parking area.
Less than a week later, the agreement is in tatters,
with one Batonhon reportedly mauled by irate
Virac-based drivers for violating the agreement.
Perhaps, it would be wise for the concerned officials
to push for the resurrection of the Land
Transportation Coordinating Council, which
during the time of council chair PBM Fred T.
Gianan, was instrumental in ironing out
differences between stakeholders and in ensuring
that the law is followed.
The council would do well to consider the following
factors: the rising number of for-hire
tricycles, now nearly 2,000, in the capital
town; the need to allow tricycles in areas
unserved by an established jeepney route; and,
the necessity of supporting inter-town trade and
commerce.
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