THE Commission on Elections yesterday warned
17 senatorial candidates of possible sanctions for their failure
to submit their drug test certifications required in filing
their Certificates of Candidacy.
Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said only 20
of the 37 senatorial candidates submitted their drug test
certificates.
"Those who did not comply, rest assured the
commission will take proper steps, proper sanctions," he said.
Borra who was designated officer-in-charge of
the poll body by Chairman Benjamin Abalos who left for the US
yesterday to attend official functions and will not be back
until April 9.
Borra said those who did not submit drug test
certificates will not be automatically disqualified as earlier
reported but will be required to explain why. "I don’t want to
preempt my colleagues in the commission but certainly these
candidates will be questioned and undergo due process," he said.
Abalos said in an earlier interview that
those who fail to submit the certificates might be stricken off
the candidates’ list.
As of yesterday afternoon, those who had
already submitted drug test certificates were Gregorio Honasan,
Benigno Aquino III, Sonia Roco, Vicente Sotto III, Luis Singson,
Miguel Zubiri, Anna Dominique Coseteng, John Osmeña, Francis
Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, Michael Defensor, Vicente Magsaysay,
Alan Peter Cayetano, Manuel Villar, Panfilo Lacson, Eduardo
Angara, Loren Legarda, Teresa Oreta, Francis Escudero and Felix
Cantal.
Those who have still to comply are Oliver
Lozano, Eduardo Orpilla, Victor Wood, Joselito Pepito Cayetano,
Ruben Enciso, Antonio Estrella, Melchor Chavez, Adrian Sison,
Martin Bautista, Zosimo Paredes, Aquilino Pimentel III, Jamalul
Kiram, Cesar Montano, Richard Gomez, Joker Arroyo, Antonio
Trillanes and Prospero Pichay.
Comelec also released yesterday the official number of voters
for the May midterm elections: 45,055,599 nationwide and 504,000
absentee or overseas voters. – Gerard Anthony Naval
