Supreme Court sets oral arguments for Koko petition on Maguindanao

MANILA — The Philippines Supreme Court today set for oral arguments on Thursday, June 28, 2007, senatoriable Aquilino Pimentel III’s petition to determine whether or not a temporary restraining order (TRO) should be issued against the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in connection with the election results in the province of Maguindanao.

In a three-page resolution, the Court En Banc also gave the Comelec until Thursday noon to submit its comments on the petition by way of personal service. Senatoriable Juan Miguel Zubiri, if he so desires, was also told to submit his comment on or before Thursday noon, also by way of personal service.

Pimentel sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the Comelec orders that purportedly were for “salvaging vote figures for senators from Maguindanao by collecting, gathering, and going over alleged ‘accountable election documents’ which were not meant to be and should not be canvassed.” In particular, Pimentel assailed Comelec orders dated June 6, 2007 requiring all proclaimed officials in the province of Maguindanao to prove that elections were indeed held on May 14, 2007 and that they were duly elected and proclaimed, and June 15, 2007 denying Pimentel’s motion for the Comelec to convert itself into the National Board of Canvassers and for it to proclaim him senator-elect based on the national canvass excluding Mindanao. He also questioned the Comelec order authorizing the Task Force Maguindanao to examine and/or look into the alleged accountable election documents in the hands of election officers of Maguindanao.

Pimentel and Zubiri are in a close-fight over the 12th spot in the senatorial race in last May polls. Eleven winning senatoriables had already been proclaimed by the poll body. (GR No. 178168, Pimentel III v. Comelec and Zubiri, June 26, 2007)