Arroyo urged to release funds for May polls

President Arroyo was urged yesterday to release the necessary funds to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to enable the poll body to prepare for the May combined congressional-local elections.

House Minority Leader Francis Escudero made the appeal in reaction to the warning of Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos that the failure of Congress to approve the 2007 budget could result in the postponement or scrapping of the coming balloting.

Escudero said the President has the authority to make funds available to the Comelec for the purpose of the May polls even without a Congress-approved budget.

"She is duty-bound to release money because the coming elections are mandated by the Constitution, which she has sworn to obey and enforce," he said.

He said all Abalos has to do is make a request and Mrs. Arroyo should release the funds the Comelec needs.

The opposition leader pointed out that the President in fact has enough leeway under the re-enacted 2005 budget to look for money for the poll body, "if she wants the May elections to push through."

He stressed that if Mrs. Arroyo could ignore the courts and order the transfer of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, she has no justification to refuse to make money available to the Comelec.

"She cannot point to the failure of Congress to approve the 2007 budget because there are enough funds in the re-enacted budget that she can give the Comelec. The President and Chairman Abalos cannot blame Congress because the budget re-enactment process allows Mrs. Arroyo to make funds available to the poll body," Escudero said.— With Paolo Romero