REMOVAL OF RAFANAN AS DIRECTOR OF
COMELEC-NCR ASSAILED BY PIMENTEL

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Nene Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today assailed a highly suspicious order of Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos relieving Director Fernando Rafanan as regional supervisor of the Comelec-National Capital Region.

Pimentel said he was told that Rafanan received the directive from Abalos Friday transferring him to the office of the Comelec chairman, which means putting him on a floating status.

He said Rafanan has a reputation for being a dedicated, honest and hardworking public official who has faithfully discharged his duties and implemented election laws without fear or favor even from powerful personalities.

The minority leader said there seems to be no rhyme nor reason behind Rafanans transfer considering that Comelec is busy preparing for the May 14, national and local elections.

Chairman Abalos should put Comelec director Rafanan back to his NCR post. Removing him now will be highly suspicious. It could be a prelude to election cheating to favor administration candidates or to resurrecting the peoples initiative to amend the Constitution, Pimentel said.

He recalled that during the election campaign in 2004, Rafanan was abruptly removed reportedly upon the instruction of then Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano as head of the Comelec-NCR office and reassigned to Eastern Visayas after he ordered the tearing down of oversized streamers, billboards and posters of candidates which are prohibited by the election code.

Pimentel said the Comelec should not unjustly punish its officials who are performing well and who are assets to the Comelec.

The transfer of Rafanan came amid reports that a group of governors and other local officials are spearheading a second petition for peoples initiative, this time to convert bicameral Congress into a unicameral assembly under the existing presidential system.

The new Charter Change drive will start with the gathering of signatures for a petition to be submitted to the Comelec, which in turn will verify the authenticity of the signatures, to determine whether there is basis for calling a nationwide plebiscite on the proposed Charter amendment.