Asistio camp: Malonzo as OIC is pressure on Comelec

Sunday was no day of rest for the camp of former Caloocan City Congressman Luis "Baby" Asistio as it continued to raise objections against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s designation of former Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo as officer-in-charge of the city.

After saying that the president should have "considered others with greater moral ascendancy" in choosing an OIC for Caloocan, Pablo Casimina, a spokesman for Asistio, yesterday said Mrs. Arroyo’s act is in itself "tantamount to pressuring the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to rule in favor of Malonzo" in the pending petition to declare a failure of elections in the city.

Asistio had filed the petition citing massive disenfranchisement of voters as a result of the bungled distribution of ballot boxes and election paraphernalia by the City Treasurer’s Office on election day.

Both Asistio and Malonzo have blamed each other for masterminding the election mess. Casimina said almost half of the city’s 522,088 registered voters were unable to exercise their right to suffrage.

"We believe our case has a lot of merit because if not, then the Comelec should have, weeks ago, dismissed our petition," said Casimina, a former city administrator, in a telephone interview.

Casimina further questioned Mrs. Arroyo’s appointment of Malonzo: "Why does the President seem to be tolerating and siding with him? Is it because they are provincemates and Malonzo supported her during EDSA 2?."

Asistio’s camp maintained that an impartial official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should have been designated as OIC. "If there is an impending power vacuum, the DILG is in a position to know better. But why bypass the DILG? That is a simple question that tickles the minds of the people in Caloocan," Casimina said.

He further claimed that Mrs. Arroyo’s appointment of Malonzo has cast doubt on her administration’s campaign for "good governance" and "reconciliation."

"Appointing (Malonzo) to a hotly contested seat runs contrary to her pronouncement of good governance. It is also not in line with reconciliation because it only created animosity," he said.

Casimina said Malonzo is unfit to become OIC as he faces a string of election fraud cases in the Comelec filed by the Asistio camp.

"We are going to make an appeal to the Supreme Court to reconsider the appointment considering the pending election cases against Malonzo," he added.

Casimina also expressed concern that chaos may erupt as hundreds of Asistio supporters are now converging in front of the city hall to protest Malonzo’s designation.

Last Saturday, Mrs. Arroyo appointed Malonzo as OIC after the Comelec failed to resolve the question of who won in the May 14 elections in the city. The order was hand-delivered by Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., who also administered Malonzo’s oath of office as OIC at the Bonifacio Circle in Monumento. Other winning candidates in the city, such as Tito Varela also took their oaths. Varela, a former councilor and basketball referee, was designated as OIC of the vice mayor’s office.

The terms of all outgoing elective local officials expired at noon last Saturday.

Election returns canvassed by the city’s Board of Canvassers (BOC) showed Malonzo winning over Asistio in the mayoralty race. Asistio’s older brother, Macario, also lost to former councilor Edgar Erice in the second district congressional race. Varela won by a landslide over Asistio’s running mate, former broadcaster, Bobby Guanzon.

The Comelec, however, ordered the suspension of the proclamation of winners pending its resolution of Asistio’s petition.