Comelec mulling sanctions vs Palawan mayor

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections is studying whether to impose sanctions on Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron for allegedly tearing up a Comelec document during a recall proceeding last Saturday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said Bayron arrived at the city gymnasium where officials of the  Comelec-Puerto Princesa office were verifying voters’ signatures on a recall petition filed against the mayor.

“Why did he do that?  Why did he feel he could take an official document and destroy it?”  Jimenez said, adding that the Comelec can reproduce the document.

Citing reports from the field, Jimenez said Bayron grabbed the document from one of the Comelec officials and tore it.

In a statement last Monday, Bayron accused the Comelec of railroading the verification process. He said the poll body only checked 32,322 of the 35,731 signatures contained in the recall petition filed against him.

Jimenez said only 15 percent of the signatures needed to be checked and the number of signatures verified were more than enough.