Sunday, February 7, 2010

Buac v. COMELEC

Buac v. COMELEC

FACTS:

On April 25, 1998, the COMELEC conducted a plebiscite in Taguig, Metro Manila on the conversion of this municipality into a highly urbanized city as mandated by Republic Act No. 8487. The residents of Taguig were asked this question: “Do you approve the conversion of the Municipality of Taguig, Metro Manila into a highly urbanized city to be known as the City of Taguig, as provided for in Republic Act No. 8487? ”

On April 26, 1998, the Plebiscite Board of Canvassers (PBOC), without completing the canvass of sixty-four (64) other election returns, declared that the “No” votes won, indicating that the people rejected the conversion of Taguig into a city.

However, upon order of the COMELEC en banc, the PBOC reconvened and completed the canvass of the plebiscite returns, eventually proclaiming that the negative votes still prevailed.

Alleging that fraud and irregularities attended the casting and counting of votes, private respondents, filed with the COMELEC a petition seeking the annulment of the announced results of the plebiscite with a prayer for revision and recount of the ballots. The COMELEC treated the petition as an election protest, docketed as EPC No. 98-102. It was raffled to the Second Division.

Petitioner intervened in the case. He then filed a motion to dismiss the petition on the ground that the COMELEC has no jurisdiction over an action involving the conduct of a plebiscite. He alleged that a plebiscite cannot be the subject of an election protest.

The COMELEC Second Division issued a Resolution granting petitioner’s motion and dismissing the petition to annul the results of the Taguig plebiscite for lack of jurisdiction. The COMELEC en banc affirmed this Resolution.

Accordingly, on April 19, 2004, the COMELEC Second Division issued an Order in EPC No. 98-102 constituting the committees for the revision/recount of the plebiscite ballots.

On April 28, 2004, the revision/recount proceedings commenced and upon its termination, the Committees on Revision submitted their complete and final reports.

Thereafter, the COMELEC Second Division set the case for hearing. As no witnesses were presented by petitioner, the parties were directed to submit their respective memoranda, which they did.

Petitioner contends that “the revision of the plebiscite ballots cannot be relied upon for the determination of the will of the electorate” because “the revision is incomplete. He claims that:

“Based on the Final Report of the Committee on Revision for each of the eight (8) Revision Committees, the revision of ballots yielded a total of 15,802 votes for ‘Yes’ and a total of 12,602 votes for ‘No.’ The revision committee thus canvassed only a total of 28,404 ballots.

As shown by the records, the COMELEC considered not only the total number of votes reflected in the Final Canvassing Report of the Taguig PBOC, but also the voting results based on (1) the physical count of the ballots; (2) the returns of the uncontested precincts; and (3) the appreciation of the contested ballots, all summed up and tallied as follows:


Affirmative Negative
Total Number of Votes Per PBOC Canvassing Report 19,413 21,890
Minus: Number of Invalid Votes 253 419
Minus: Number of Votes Deducted from the
Plebiscite Returns After Physical Count (Table D) 0 2,024

Plus: Number of Votes Added After Physical Count 1,936 0
(Table D)
Plus: Credited Claimed Ballots 9 13
Total 21,105 19,460


ISSUE:

Whether or not the COMELEC gravely abused its discretion.

HELD:

Petitions dismissed for lack of merit.
The above factual findings of the COMELEC supported by evidence, are accorded, not only respect, but finality. This is so because “the conduct of plebiscite and determination of its result have always been the business of the COMELEC and not the regular courts. Such a case involves the appreciation of ballots which is best left to the COMELEC. As an independent constitutional body exclusively charged with the power of enforcement and administration of all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum and recall, the COMELEC has the indisputable expertise in the field of election and related laws.” Its acts, therefore, enjoy the presumption of regularity in the performance of official duties.
In fine, we hold that in issuing the challenged Resolution and Order in these twin petitions, the COMELEC did not gravely abuse its discretion.

fr. atty pinon ^^

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