LUCENA CITY—By sheer number, Quezon remains to be the bailiwick of the political opposition.
According to records at the Commission on Elections (Comelec), at least 21 re-electionist mayors belong to the opposition National Unity Party (NUP) and one each from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
The administration Liberal Party (LP), also according to Comelec records, is fielding nine re-electionist mayors.
Of 21 NUP re-electionist mayors, three are running unopposed—Remedios Uri-Rivera (Buenavista), Sergio Emprese (San Andres) and Eleanor Uy (San Francisco). In San Andres, only eight LP candidates are running.
In Gumaca, hometown of the Tanada clan, there is no LP ticket to speak of. Only two candidates for councilor are carrying the LP name.
Nine towns are considered “free zones,” as no incumbent mayor is seeking re-election.
In November last year, former Quezon Gov. Eduardo Rodriguez resigned from the LP over what he said was the weak LP leadership in the province. He, however, returned to the party two months later.
The elections will be a showdown between dynasties in the province—Alcala, headed by Proceso; Suarez, headed by House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez; Talaga, led by ex-Lucena Mayor Ramon Talaga Jr.; and the Tanadas.
Rep. Irvin Alcala, (LP, 2nd district), son of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, will challenge incumbent Gov. David Suarez (NUP), son of Representative Suarez.
Irvin’s running mate is Sam Nantes, a political neophyte and son of the late Gov. Rafael Nantes and current Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office director Betty Nantes.
The relationship of political personalities in the province is a classic example of politics based on shaky alliances.
MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday that he is still contemplating if he will step down from his post and disclosed that his planned meeting with President Benigno Aquino III for a consultation will push through.
MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will ask the Supreme Court (SC) to immediately decide on the petitions involving airtime limits for candidates.
Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said yesterday he is coordinating with the Solicitor General for the immediate filing of a motion to resolve merits of the cases.
“Since you issued a status quo ante order (SQA), I think you should resolve the merits within the next few days,” he said. “I’m going to ask the Solicitor General who’s handling the case for us to file a motion immediately. They cannot leave us in limbo.”
Brillantes said the SC did not decide on the petitions of GMA-7, TV5, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
“It’s a setback because it effectively ties our hands and says ‘you cannot do anything because there is a status quo ante order,’ That’s what I do not like,” he said.
Brillantes said as of press time, the Comelec has not received a copy of the status quo ante order.
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Only one member of Congress can sit in the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the Supreme Court (SC) has ruled.
The SC affirmed yesterday its ruling last year to remove one of two members of Congress in the JBC.
It declared unconstitutional the JBC setup in which a senator and a member of the House of Representatives have separate seats and votes in deliberations.
“The Judicial and Bar Council is hereby enjoined to reconstitute itself so that only one member of Congress will sit as repre- sentative in its proceedings, in accordance with Section 8(1), Article VIII of the Con- stitution,” read the SC decision.
The SC has left to Congress to determine who between Sen. Francis Escudero and Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. should remain in the JBC.
It dismissed the claim of Escudero and Tupas that framers of the Constitution made an oversight in assigning just one represen-tative for the bicameral Congress in the JBC.
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) stopped yesterday the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing caps on radio and television ads of candidates in the May 13 polls.
SC spokesman Theodore Te said the high court issued a status quo ante (SQA) order on the poll body’s rule giving national candidates a total of 120 minutes on all TV networks and 180 minutes on radio stations, with local candidates allotted 60 minutes on TV and 90 minutes on radio.
However, he refused to discuss the specific implication of the ruling and how long the halt order will be in effect, citing “limited information” given to him by the justices.
A member of the court, however, explained that the status quo ante order – which has the same effect as a temporary restraining order (TRO) – means the Comelec should revert to its previous rule allowing national bets to have 120 minutes airtime in each TV network.
Te only confirmed that justices voted 9-6 in summer session to grant the relief sought in petitions filed by broadcasters GMA Network Corp., ABC Development Corp., and re-electionist Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano last February.
The majority votes were cast by Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Presbitero Velasco Jr., Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Martin Villarama Jr., Jose Mendoza, Jose Perez and Marvic Leonen.