News Roundup 15 March 2022
Mar 15, 2022 • 5 min Read
Comelec, Rappler told to answer Calida petition over 2022 polls partnership | PHILSTAR.COM – The Supreme Court has ordered the Commission on Elections and online news company Rappler to answer the petition filed by government lawyers seeking the nullification of its memorandum of agreement for the 2022 national elections. “In the case of Republic of the Philippines represented by the Office of the Solicitor general and Rappler, the Court En Banc during its deliberations today ordered the respondents to file their respective comments on the petition and application for a [temporary restraining order],” SC spokesperson Brian Hosaka told reporters on Tuesday. Comelec and Rappler were given the non-extendible period of ten days from receipt of order to file their comments to the SC. Solicitor General Jose Calida on March 7 made good on his statement that he will seek court action if the Comelec will not rescind its MOA with Rappler, over allegations that it is unconstitutional. Although the OSG has yet to make public a copy of its petition, it said in a statement that its MOA should be voided “for being violative of the Constitution and other laws, not to mention its being onerous to the Government and the Republic.” Just a day after Calida filed the petition, the Comelec suspended its MOA with Rappler until the petition is resolved. Then-Acting Comelec chair Socorro Inting said: “Given the allegations against Rappler and the subsequent filing of the Petition with the SC, it is judicious for the Commission to hold in abeyance the implementation of the provisions of the MOA until the issues are settled and/or the decision of the court is rendered,” Among the arguments Calida raised in his petition is the authorization given to Rappler to alert the poll body “on any election-related posts on social media and with the sole discretion to determine what it deems ‘ false, misleading and harmful information.’” In Chavez v. Gonzales, the Supreme Court referred to prior restraint as “official governmental restrictions on the press or other forms of expression in advance of actual publication or dissemination.” Philippine media organizations, the academe and non-governmental groups have vowed to increase and amplify fact-checking efforts for the 2022 national elections.
Lacson: ‘Kahit zero ako sa survey, tutuloy pa rin ako’ | INQUIRER.NET – Nothing could seem to stop Senator Panfilo Lacson from the presidential race, not even a zero percent score in surveys. Lacson expressed his firm resolve to push his presidential campaign up to the end during an ambush interview here, as he and running mate, vice presidential candidate and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, woo voters of Northern Luzon. “Maski zero ako sa survey, tutuloy pa rin ako kasi ‘di ako naniniwalang zero ako sa survey,” he said. (Even if I get zero percent in surveys, I will continue because I don’t believe I have zero support in the surveys.) Lacson was reacting to his low voter preference mark in the latest pre-election polling of Pulse Asia, where he got only 2 percent – less than the 4 percent he garnered previously. Lacson questioned the result of the survey, which was conducted from February 18-23 on 2,400 adult respondents. “I find it difficult to understand and believe—na base sa sarili kong naramdaman sa ground—parang ‘di ko kayang tanggapin na pagkatapos pa ng mga presidential forums and interviews, lalo pa akong lalagapak,” he said. (I find it difficult to understand and believe—based on what I personally see on the ground—I don’t think I can accept that after the presidential forums and interviews, support for my bid will go down.) “Malalaman na lang sa May 9, diyan magkakaintindihan. Ibig sabihin 1.2 million lang boto kasi 60 million ang voters?” he added. (We will only know on May 9. Does it mean I will only have 1.2 million votes since there are 60 million voters.) Lacson said he and Sotto will “work harder” because surveys “are not the elections.”
Comelec explains why observers not allowed before, during ballot printing | Manila Bulletin – Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Marlon S. Casquejo on Tuesday, March 15, cited Covid-19 as the reason why observers were not allowed before at the National Printing Office (NPO). “At that time we cannot compromise the Covid-19 situation,” he said during a press briefing at NPO. On Tuesday, March 15, veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal lamented the decision of Casquejo to proceed with the printing of official ballots without candidates’ observers, adding that the candidates and political parties were not informed about it. Macalintal noted that, under the law, political parties and candidates are entitled to send their watchers or observers during the printing of the ballots and other election paraphernalia. Meanwhile, Casquejo offered to provide closed-circuit television (CCTV) footages of the printing process of official ballots. “But then again since we have CCTVs naman on that particular date, if anyone would like to request CCTV footage of that, we can provide it. Para naman of those number of percentage already printed na hindi na-witness (that they did not witness), they can watch the CCTV, at least para makapag-ano tayo na ito pala ang nangyari noong particular date (so that we could that it was what happened on that particular date),” he said when asked by the media about the issue during a press briefing. As to the poll lawyer’s request for a compromise of conducting random testing of printed ballots, Casquejo said the Comelec en banc needs to discuss it first. Macalintal said that at least two or three printed ballots should be randomly selected per municipality.
