Panlilio-Pineda case decided on Jan. 7

MANILA, Philippines - The Second Division of the Commission on Elections may decide who was the duly elected governor of Pampanga on Jan. 7, an official said yesterday.

In an interview, Second Division presiding Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer noted that they have scheduled the promulgation of the electoral protests filed by Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio and former provincial board member Lilia Pineda against each other on Jan. 7.

Panlilio was proclaimed governor of Pampanga in the 2007 mid-term polls with a winning margin of 1,147 against Pineda.

But Pineda had filed an electoral protest with the Comelec, claiming that she was cheated of victory. Panlilio did the same as he alleged that he could have garnered a bigger margin had it not been for electoral fraud.

These cases had prompted the Comelec to order a revision of the ballots from Pampanga.

On Dec. 4, Panlilio’s lawyer, Ernesto Francisco Jr. had filed a motion with the Comelec, asking Ferrer and other Second Division member-Commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph to inhibit themselves out of “delicadeza and prudence.”

Francisco claimed that his client would never get a fair ruling from the Comelec because of apparent haste by which the hearing of the cases was conducted. 

He added that the poll officials were biased towards the “political affiliation” of Pineda, an ally of President Arroyo.

According to Ferrer, they had rejected the motion and, instead, ordered Francisco to explain why he should not be cited in contempt for the “contumacious acts that he may have committed against the commission.”

But Ferrer maintained that had they inhibited themselves, the case would have been transferred to other commissioners, thus, delaying the proceedings.

“It therefore escapes the Commission (Second Division) on how the protestee can claim that the conduct of this case has been ‘hasty,’ if it has been so, and then is simply just another reason to be happy with and thankful for because as the quick aphorism goes ‘justice delayed is justice denied,” the order states.  – Sheila Crisostomo