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Lagman Exposes Motive for Palace delay on ARMM Bill

Press Statements
  • Office of the Minority Leader Edcel C. Lagman
  • 20 June 2011
  • 09166406737 / 09189120137

         

LAGMAN EXPOSES MOTIVE FOR

PALACE DELAY ON ARMM BILL

 

          After pushing extra hard for the passage in the Congress of the bill postponing the August 2011 elections in the Autonomous Region of Muslin Mindanao (ARMM), the signing into law by President Aquino of the enrolled bill is deliberately being stalled.

           The obvious motive for this dilatory scheme is to deny the Supreme Court enough time to rule on expected petitions challenging the validity of the eventual statute deferring the ARMM polls and authorizing the President to appoint officers-in-charge (OICs).

           As long as the enrolled bill remains unsigned by the President, any petition before the Supreme Court will be premature in the absence of a covering statute.

           Meanwhile, time is running out and any petition could be rendered moot and academic as the preparation for the scheduled elections appears to have been halted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as if the postponement is already a done deal.

           It should be recalled that House Bill No. 4146 on the ARMM election postponement was finally approved by the Congress on 07 June 2011 when the House of Representatives concurred with alacrity with the amendments adopted by the Senate, thus foreclosing the holding of a bicameral conference to reconcile the differing provisions.

           From 07 June 2011, it took the Congress ten days or up to 17 June 2011 to enroll the bill with Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and the respective Secretaries of the two chambers signing the printed copy of the bill.

           Since 17 June 2011, the enrolled bill has been with the Office of the President and has remained unsigned by President Aquino.

           It was reported that the signing ceremonies would still be on 30 June 2011.

           After getting what he wanted from the Congress, the President is temporizing in signing the bill into law to prevent the Supreme Court from resolving what he does not want, which is the nullification of the deferment of the ARMM elections and his appointment of OICs.