By MARK FRANCISCO
A lawyer-turned-local politician cried foul over the way the Commission on Elections (Comelec) summoned new voting registrants in the first legislative district of Cagayan de Oro City who are subject of complaints.
Former Barangay 26 kagawad Adonis Arc Gumahad, who has since transferred to the first district and is running for councilor in the elections next year, said the city Comelec office’s way in summoning the respondents are beyond due process.
“In any judicial or quasi-judicial body, respondents must receive a hard copy of the summon. Pero kini igo lang gi-text unya a day after, ipatunga diretso ang respondent. Dili insakto nga pamaagi,” Gumahad said.
City Comelec officer for the first district Joel Dexter Nagtalon summoned more than 100 new voting registrants at their office to explain why 53 Carmen residents executed a complaint claiming that these persons are not residing there and therefore ineligible to vote in their barangay.
“It has come to our community’s attention that several (persons) are applying under dubious circumstances. (sic) Worse, nobody in the local community can identify them,” read a portion of the complaint.
But Gumahad pointed out that the 53 petitioners executed a joint complaint and did not specify which of the respondents they are referring, whose registered addresses are also spread out within the barangay.
“So imposible kaayo nga si complainant A nga taga-Zone 3 makaila kang respondent B nga taga-Macanhan,” he said.
More so, Gumahad pointed out that Comelec did not even require the complainants to appear before their office and actually pinpoint their targeted respondents.
“Hasol kaayo sa mga respondents nga kinahanglan nila absenan sa trabaho kay mahadlok sila ma-delist,” he said.
