Good Morning Judge: On elections cancellation

Recently there has been a unilateral move on the part of the DU3 administration to postpone the up-coming local and barangay elections which under existing laws fall on the 2nd Tuesday of May 2017. Reportedly, the justification of the administration to do away with the mandated elections is to save on costs of the conduct of election and for the President to just appoint all the barangay and local officials. It may be recalled that then President Ferdinand Marcos sometime in l976 suspended the election for that year and instead appointed the provincial governors, city mayors, municipal mayors and other local officials with the then President using his martial law powers. This was prior to the passage of Batas Pambansa Blg 881 otherwise known as the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines. Under this law, elections are mandated on specific dates and hence, the President on his own cannot just postpone and/or cancel the elections. He will be transgressing the law if on his own he unilaterally cancels/postpones the elections. Be that as it may, we commend the Commission on Elections on its decision to continue with the registration of voters especially the new voters despite the President’s plan to postpone the electoral process. I hope that the President will heed the advice of some election experts who have recently voiced their views against the cancellation/postponement of the right of suffrage. TRIVIA: Reminding all Lay Ministers in the different Dioceses of Camarines Sur that the Renewal of their Appointment will be held after the renewal seminar to be held this coming Saturday, April 22, at 7:00 a.m. at the Ateneo Gym. Hi to Gabby del Fuerto who was in Naga for the Lenten Holidays. He is due to fly back next week to San Diego where he now resides. He is the brother of Melvin del Fuerto who used to run a column in this paper. Tony Factora who is also a permanent resident of Los Angeles is in town for a vacation. He tendered a sumptuous merienda cena last Black Saturday at his residence at Petronas Compound at Jacob Extension. Among those present were Frank Macandog, Nestor Agravante, Miniong, Totoy Reorizo, Perfing Palacio, Berting Palacio, Raul Macandog and this writer and his spouse Minda. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: “HOPE IS THE COMPANION OF POWER, AND MOTHER OF SUCCESS; FOR WHO SO HOPES STRONGLY HAS WITHIN HIM THE GIFT OF MIRACLES.” SAMUEL SMILES FOR OUR WORD OF LIFE: “GOD, GIVE ME THE GRACE TO ACCEPT WITH SERENITY THE THINGS THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED, THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE CHANGED, AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.” REINHOLD NEIDUHR