Comelec will pursue election offenses against violators

QUEZON CITY, May 25 -- The proclamation of winners in the May 13 elections will continue next week.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will also pursue cases against election law offenders, including those who put up illegal posters.

"Whether (candidates) win or lose, the election offense has been committed. Pwede silang matanggal kung ma-convict sila later (Those elected can be unseated if convicted later)," said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brilliantes as he confirmed that their legal department continues to collect evidence and prepare cases.

Meanwhile, either Monday or Tuesday, Chairman Brilliantes said Comelec will have a resolution that bears the final list of the remaining winning organizations and the individual nominees that will be proclaimed.

"We have to come up with a ruling (this weekend) in so far as the 12 disqualified parytlist groups are concerned," said Brilliantes, "the first 14 (proclaimed partylist groups) will not be affected whether we compute the 12 disqualified (partylists groups) or not."

The poll body has proclaimed, on Friday morning, the first batch of partylists which gained significant number of canvassed votes that guaranteed each of them a seat at the House of Representatives (House) based on Comelec Resolution No.006-13.

The proclamation is based on a 7-0 unanimous Comelec En Banc decision.

These are Buhay, A Teacher, Bayan Muna, 1-Care, Akbayan, Ako Bicol, Abono, OFW Family, Gabriela, Coopnatcco, AGAP, CIBAC, Magdalo and An Waray.

"There is a possibility that these partylists (the first batch) will have more than one nominee. So we rather issue the certificate of proclamation not necessary today (Friday) but any time hereafter," said Brilliantes.

To earn a seat in the lower house, an organization must get a threshold of two percent from the total number of votes cast for partylists.

Two percent is about 150,000 - 200,000 votes: a partylist may have a maximum of three representations which are about six percent.

Partylists with lower than the two-percent threshold may still a shot at the House: they have to compete for unoccupied slots that needed to be filled up.

There are a total of 44 slots remaining for partylists representations in the House. But there is no hope for partylist groups that gathered only 10,000 - 15,000 votes, Brilliantes said.

The raising of hands of winning nominees will not happen in cases of partylists because, Brilliantes said, as they can only proclaim parties and not persons. (Lyndon Plantilla/Media ng Bayan)