Comelec swamped with 700 election cases

Can the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolve 700 election cases in 13 days?

The Comelec is coming out with a list of cases that would "survive" June 30, when all unresolved election cases are automatically deemed affirmed by Comelec.

If the Comelec is unable to resolve these cases by June 30, "the ruling of the local board of canvassers will be deemed affirmed and this is the issue that we would want to avoid because the board of canvassers’ ruling may be erroneous and it is the Comelec which must correct that," Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said.

Borra said pre-proclamation controversy cases alone number about 300 while other "special action" cases, like annulments of proclamation, number around 400.

"So we are evaluating if there are justifiable reasons and the evidence is strong that we have to decide one way or the other. But if we cannot decide — we consider the case as having survived," said Borra.

He said that, in such a scenario, they have good reason to believe the "surviving cases" are erroneous.

"That is our remedy to protect the will of the people," he added.

Borra said if the Comelec fails to come out with a list of surviving cases after the June 30 deadline, the petitioners in those cases have no recourse but to resort to very expensive election protests.

In filing election protests, petitioners must deposit sums of money which will be used for the re-inspection of each questioned ballot box. Borra estimated the cost of re-inspection at P3,050 per ballot box.

He also said the Comelec is now prioritizing big cases, especially those involving governors or higher.

However, Borra could not give a time frame during which they would resolve all pending cases after June 30.

Inundated by election protest cases in the 2001 elections, Comelec was only able to resolve some of these cases just before the May 10 elections.