MANILA – Bayan Muna today welcomed the Commission on Elections ruling
dismissing for “lack of merit” two trumped-up disqualification
complaints filed against it, Anakpawis and Gabriela by two women from
Nueva Ecija.
“This is another victory for truth and justice. We are again proven
innocent of the false charges against us,” said House Deputy Minority
Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur C. Ocampo. “This is the third time
disqualification cases filed against us and they have miserably failed
thrice too. This is strike three against our tormentors and
slanderers.”
The Comelec ruling was dated June 1, the same day the Supreme Court
ordered the dismissal of rebellion charges against the Batasan 6.
Ocampo said the Comelec ruling should pave way for the quick
proclamation of Bayan Muna’s three nominees, commensurate to the more
than six percent share of total partylist votes.
“We doubt whether the firm Comelec decision may be reversed by a
motion for reconsideration. We hope those who handle Bayudang and
Felipe will quit this gambit and not frustrate the will of the voters
who have elected Bayan Muna to its third straight term as partylist
members of Congress,” said Ocampo.
Complainants Isabelita Bayudang and Medelyn Felipe accused Bayan Muna,
Anakpawis and Gabriela of ordering the murders of their husbands, of
intimidating them against campaigning for Akbayan, and of being fronts
of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Bayan Muna solons lodged separate perjury raps against Bayudang and
Felipe at the Manila and Quezon prosecutors’ offices.
In its ruling, the Comelec second division said that “after a careful
scrutiny of the records of this case, we find no sufficient and
convincing evidence to support the petitions and the allegations
contained herein.”
“Any petition for disqualification of any duly-accredited partylist
organization must, to our mind, be supported by clear and convincing
evidence that indeed the partylist organizations complained about
actually advocate violence or that they violate elections laws,” said
the ruling, adding that “falling short in this requirement, we cannot
countenance any allegation of advocating violence and violation of
election laws since it will not do justice to the sectors they very
well represent as envisioned by the Constitution.”
The 14-page ruling was signed by Commissioners Florentino Tuason,
Nicodemo Ferrer and Rene Sarmiento. ###
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2007 Elections
