Nlra',,lnga'
Wednesday, May a,2OL9
SC decision on Comelec move assailed
BY WEI{DELL VIGILIA
A HOUSE leader yesterday as-
sailed dre Supreme Court for stop-
piog the Commission on Elections
(Comelec) from implementing its
decision to delignate new polling
places for at least five barangays
in Sulu, saying the move might
disenftaachise some votets.
Deputy Speaker Munir Arbjsoo
cited the case of rhe 3.000 regis-
tered voters of the island barangay
of Capual whose voting center
remains urr the rnaidand, which is
more tlan tfuee kilometers av'ay
from their docking points.
Sulu remains one of the fewprov
inces were voting ceriters of some
batangays ate clustered jlto one
voting center tesultingin some fotm
of ger4'rnandeting, said Atbison.
This ptompted t}te Comelec to
drarge the votiog centers it found to
be dis^dr%nt2geous to the Suiu voters.
Io Maimbung fot example, Arbi.
son said more than-(0 peqcqot of
the voters ate assigned in onl-v one
voting center allegedly controlled
by fotmer Sulu Gow Sakur Tan
rrhich the lawmaker said is almost
the same case il Lugus, Pata, Pan
amao and Kalinggalan Caluarrg.
The SC stopped tlre Comelec ftom
actiog on the resolurion on a petition
filed by former Comelec chairmarr
Sixto Brillantes Jr., Tan's lawyet and
other petitions 61ed by Almedzar
Hajiri and Nwhaipa Beto.
The SC, in its status quo ante otdet,
\t pAcl€ -8,3t/
stopped the Comelec from enforc-
ing all tesolutions on the "dusteriog,
de-dusteting, trarsfer, a-lteration and
establishment of seveml precincts in
the provioce of Sulu."
The petitiooers want the High
Court to declate Comelec reso-
lutions null and void fot alleged
grave abuse of discretion.
Hajiri told *re tribunal that the
change was made without ptior
notice to the affected political
candidates and parties.
In oae of t}le resolutions being
questiooed, t}le Comelec Picked
Bas Mangkallay Elementa4' School
in Barangal' Manglsllay as the nev'
poltiag place for 1,440 registered
voters in Bataogays Laha, Mang-
kallay, Tingkangan, aod to*..
"ut .-