Comelec keeps hands off LDP row

The Commission on Election (Comelec) said yesterday that for the meantime, it will keep its hands off the worsening rift within the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).

The poll body said there is no need yet to interfere as the opposition’s presidential aspirants Sen. Panfilo Lacson and actor Fernando Poe Jr. have yet to file their certificates of candidacy (CoC).

The filing of CoCs started Dec. 15 and will end on Jan. 5. Both Poe and Lacson are expected to file their CoCs after Christmas.

"These are intra-party matters. But if there are two candidates from the same party, the Comelec will decide based on the party’s constitution and by-laws," Comelec legal department acting head Alioden Dalaig explained.

Separate factions of the LDP are pushing for Lacson and Poe, with either candidate refusing to step aside or slide down as the other’s running mate. Poe, while not a member of the LDP, is perceived as the one with a better chance of defeating President Arroyo.

But the two factions appear headed for collision after LDP president Sen. Edgardo Angara told the poll body that only the candidate endorsed by him or his representative may claim to be LDP’s official candidate. Angara’s group is batting for Poe.

On the other hand, LDP secretary general and Makati Rep. Agapito Aquino and a majority of the party members are supporting Lacson. Both factions have declared their respective bets as the party’s official candidates in separate ceremonies.

In his manifestation letter to the Comelec, Angara said the party has placed Aquino on indefinite forced leave. However, the latter debunked the claim, saying he could not be ousted as he has the support of the majority.

Dalaig said that if Comelec decides who should be the rightful LDP candidate, one of the opposition bets should run under a new party or as an independent candidate, which means he cannot avail himself of the benefits of party membership as provided by law.

The Comelec is required to furnish the administration and opposition parties copies of the certificates of canvass and are given priority slots for poll watchers in case of overcrowding in precincts.