Marcos chides Comelec's Bautista for 'No-El' scenario

VICE presidential frontrunner Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday chided the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for raising the possibility of no election (no-el) or postponing the elections on May 9.

Marcos particularly rebuked Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista for painting a scenario of postponing the forthcoming political exercise because the ruling of the Supreme Court ordering the poll body to print and issue vote receipts would supposedly delay the ongoing preparation for the elections.

He said Bautista's statement does not sit well with the mandate of the Comelec to conduct the elections on the date set by law, which is May 9.

"What's the play of Chairman Bautista? Instead of assuring the public that the May 9 elections will push through, he is sending signals that it may not happen at all," Marcos said.

Bautista reportedly said the order of the High Court to issue vote receipts entails problems since it is not among the processes being readied by the Comelec and with barely two months before the elections, the agency might not be able to comply with the additional work on time.

But Marcos, while recognizing the difficulty the Comelec is facing, said Bautista should focus and lead the whole poll body in working overtime to ensure that the elections will push through as scheduled.

He said what the Comelec should do now is buckle down to work to comply with the High Court's ruling. "As I have said, no matter how the Comelec feels about it, the body should immediately begin preparations in accordance with the decision. They are wasting time complaining. The Comelec is mandated to give us honest and credible elections on May 9, 2016 and that they should ensure that happens," Marcos said.