COMELEC: No money for recall election in Pampanga

Nov	23
2008

COMELEC: No money for recall election in Pampanga

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/16/2008 9:03 AM

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A Commission on Elections official on Thursday said the filing of the petition against Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio may all go to waste because the poll body doesn't have the funds to finance a recall election in the province.

"If we have no funds, the petition for recall won't move," Fernando Rafanan, COMELEC legal director, told ABS-CBN’s morning show, “Umagang Kay Ganda.”

Rafanan, however, said the COMELEC will still act on the recall petition filed Wednesday by The Kapanalig at Kambilan ning Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan) led by Vice Governor Joseller “Yeng” Guiao.

He said the COMELEC branch in Pampanga would have to assess the petition if is sufficient in form and substance.

If the petition was certified sufficient in form and substance, it would have to be submitted in three days to the COMELEC deputy executive director for operations for verification.

Once verified, the petition will go to the COMELEC en banc for deliberation and determination if the poll body has funds for a recall election.

Rafanan said as far as he knows, the COMELEC doesn’t have available funds for a recall election.

He said similar petitions failed to prosper in the poll body’s main office due to lack of funds.

Guiao’s group went to the COMELEC office in Pampanga to submit their petition and presented 224,875 signatures.

Panlilio, for his part, said he welcomes the move of Guiao’s group. He said he is confident that the majority of the people of Pampanga still support him.

Hundreds of supporters of Guiao’s group held at least a couple of hours of protest rally at the provincial capitol before filing the recall petition.

The protesters were joined by joined by at least seven Pampanga mayors.