Samar COMELEC endorses petitions to recall the Tans

By EMY C. BONIFACIO, Samar News.com
December 14, 2010

CATBALOGAN, Samar  –  Contrary to allegations that filing of recall petitions are still premature, the Provincial COMELEC’s Office of Samar, docketed two (2) separate petitions to recall Samar Governor Sharee Ann T. Tan and Vice-Governor Stephen James T. Tan  at exactly 2:15 and 2:45 in the afternoon, respectively, last  December 7, this year.

The petitions were made pursuant to the provisions of Section 69 of the Local Government Code of RA No. 7160 in relation to Comelec Resolution 7505 for loss of confidence.

Both main petitioners, Mr. Aurelio Aquino Bardaje, a registered voter of Precinct No. 73A in Brgy. Canlapwas, Catbalogan, Samar and Elvisa Aranzada Lopez, a registered voter 0f 0176A in Brgy. Hamorawon, Calbayog City, submitted nine (9) sets of the said petition with 7,575 pages per set. It contains the names, addresses and signatures with the respective precinct numbers of the supporting petitioners, as well.

Based on a DILG Certification dated November 25, 2010, both officials did not furnish the DILG a copy of their assumptions to duty, as required.

The recall petitions cited loss of confidence, occasioned by the malversation and wastage of the public funds, massive graft and corruption and governance through the dictates of their mother who has been charged with numerous cases of graft and corruption, as its primary reasons. Furthermore, Bardaje said that the gross incompetence of Gov. Sharee Ann T. Tan was best demonstrated by the recent illegal passage of the 2011 Annual Budgets which has been a subject of a Preliminary Injunction by the court. The petitioners were also backed up by Board Resolution No. 01-2010 which was jointly adopted by the League of Municipalities and the Philippine Councilor’s League, Samar Chapter, clamoring for a recall election.

In so far as compliance to the percentage requirement in relation to the voting population of the province is concerned, the recall document showed 73,889 signatories as petitioners, which constitute 16.39% of the voting population of the province that totaled 450,768, based on a certification issued by the COMELEC, dated Nov. 25, 2010. Section 6 of the COMELEC Resolution provides the percentage requirement which shall only be at least 10% but not less than 45,000.

Petitioners’ turn-out in the different municipalities of the 1st district are as follows: Almagro (1,995); Gandara (2,251); Matuguinao (464); Pagsanghan (1,440); San Jorge (1,382); Sta. Margarita (3,164); Sto. Niño (1,413); Tagapul-an (620) and Tarangnan (1,699).

Meanwhile, in the 2nd District, Basey had 4,093; Catbalogan (8,501); Daram (3,984); Hinabangan (2,166); Jiabong (1,954); Marabut (1,738); Paranas (3,942); San Jose de Buan (590); Sta. Rita (3,113); Villareal (2,473) and Calbayog had 2,6907 petitioners.

In the same manner, the requisite filing fee of Fifty Thousand (P50,000.00) was tendered at the Provincial Election Supervisor’s Office which is mandated by law to remit the said sum to the Cash Division of the COMELEC.

In a recent development, it was learned that the same petitions have already been received last May 10, 2010 at 9:40AM by the Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Operations (ODEDO), Intramuros, Manila.