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Salonga Law Center, COMELEC
and PNP tie up for election workshop
The workshop is headed by Atty. Mikhail Lee Maxino, Director of the Salonga Law Center, Atty. Manuel Advincula, Provincial Supervisor of COMELEC, and Col. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, Provincial Director of PNP. Atty. Advincula lectured on the Role of COMELEC and Involved Key Agencies in the Conduct of Elections while Col. Buenafe on the Role of the PNP in the Implementation of Election Laws. “People always say that if there is something wrong during elections, it is the fault of the COMELEC. However, the COMELEC is only the custodian of the election records including the sensitive documents such as the ballots and election returns,” Atty. Advincula said. Meanwhile, Col. Buenafe emphasized the mission of the PNP which is “To enforce the law, to prevent and control crimes, to maintain peace and order, and to ensure public safety and internal security with the active support of the community” in performing its duties towards a FCHOP elections. The workshop seeks to forge a concrete framework of strategies, activities and approaches that will make the conduct of elections in Negros Oriental most commendable and efficient.
In preparation for the May 14 elections, the Salonga Law Center teams up with COMELEC and PNP to set forth awareness regarding the roles of all agencies involved to the conduct of a successful election as based on the goals of democracy. Aside from seeking to ensure the conduct of good elections, it also aims to serve as an example to other local government units that the conduct of elections can be best done with such agencies working hand in hand. Part of the workshop’s objectives was to enable the participants to have a deeper understanding of the individual and agency roles in the conduct of FCHOP elections and forge a stronger inter-agency cooperation between the PNP and COMELEC. It also aims to identify possible conflicts in the coming elections and prepare for countermeasures. Furthermore, it intends to create an inter-agency framework of strategies, measures and activities relative to the conduct of FCHOP elections. Atty. Advincula pointed out under the COMELEC Rules of Procedure that “Even if there is a resolution, it is for the prosecutor to conduct the inquest, file charges, and prosecute election violations. But if there is no inquest, the charges should be filed in the fiscal or in the COMELEC law department.” The workshop was concluded with a covenant signing by the participating agencies. “This activity might be the first in our country. As we can see of its result, problems of various involved key agencies were directly addressed to the COMELEC and vice versa. The covenant we signed will always be in our hearts,” Atty. Maxino said. It was attended
by the representatives from the COMELEC, PNP, Salonga Law Center,
Department of Education, Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative,
Inc. (NORECO), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Citizen's Movement
for Free Elections (NAMFREL) and the media.
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MetroPost
The Visayan Daily Star
The Visayan Daily Star