WITH few days left before the elections, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday admitted it is still waiting for clarification from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) body on the implementation of the suspension order given by the Office of the Ombudsman against Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
“The DILG is still awaiting the reply of the Commission on Elections regarding the query that we sent in light of the pronouncement of the Comelec that suspension orders of elected officials during the campaign period must secure an approval from the Comelec,” DILG Undersecretary for Public Affairs and Communications Rolando Puno said during a media forum at the DILG-NAPOLCOM headquarters in Quezon City.
Garcia refused to step down as she questioned the timing and legality of the suspension order issued by Ombudsman Samuel Martires two weeks before the midterm polls.
“The DILG is not sitting on the matter. I think it’s just really legitimate for us to wait for the reply of the Comelec because the pronouncement came from the Comelec themselves that any suspension order of an elected official during the time of the campaign period required Comelec approval. Until we get the clarification, DILG will not make any moves," he said.
Puno said that they were in a “tough position” over the legal matter, adding that it was not about political affiliations.
“It has nothing to do whether they were party members or not. I think it’s a legal question that needs a valid answer,” he said.
