Tiñga wants Cayetano cited for contempt

MANILA, Philippines - Retired Supreme Court associate justice Dante Tiñga has filed a motion seeking to cite Taguig Mayor Ma. Laarni Cayetano in contempt for preventing the Commission on Elections from retrieving the ballot boxes at the city hall, a Comelec official said yesterday.

Tiñga, in a statement, said he asked the Comelec to cite Cayetano in contempt “for disobeying” the poll body’s order for the retrieval of the ballot boxes. He also filed a motion for immediate implementation of the order. He said he “hopes that these legal measures will further arm Comelec to finally implement the retrieval order with dispatch.”

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento clarified that the poll body has not discussed the motion. He said poll personnel went to the Taguig City Hall Monday morning to retrieve 10 of the 43 ballot boxes questioned by Tiñga in his electoral protest, but barricades set up by Cayetano’s supporters blocked them. They decided to leave to prevent any untoward incident.

According to Sarmiento, the Comelec had decided to seek the help of the Philippine National Police in getting the ballot boxes.

Cayetano’s spokesman, Darwin Icay, said roadblocks around the city hall will not be removed unless the “threats” received by the city government regarding the retrieval of ballots are gone. He said there were reports that Tiñga’s supporters “will disrupt” the process.

Icay insisted that no one from the Comelec coordinated with them neither did their staff inform them of the arrival of poll officials. Tiñga debunked “the lies peddled by Cayetano’s camp” that nobody from the Comelec had arrived.

Icay said the Tiñga camp or the Comelec should name the city hall employee who allegedly blocked the poll officials, so the person will be held accountable.

“I just want to clarify that there is no directive to any official or employee of the city government to prevent Comelec officials from retrieving the ballot boxes,” Icay said. – Sheila Crisostomo, Aie Balagtas See