Six COMElEC personnel suspended over election folder

By Kim Pascual

THE Office of the Ombudsman yesterday ordered the suspension for six months of a Commission on Elections (Comelec) high ranking offi- cial and five others in connection with the canceled purchase of ballot secrecy folders (BSF).

Placed under preventive suspension without pay were Comelec Executive Director Jose M. Tolentino, Jr., Bids and awards Committee (BaC) Chairman Atty. Maria Lea R. Alarkon and BAC members Atty. Allen Francis B. Abaya, Atty. Maria Norina T. Casingal, Atty. Martin B. Niedo and Mr. Antonio B. Santella.

Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez has ordered the suspension based on the administrative complaint filed by the Ombudsman’s Field investigation Office (FIO) against the said Comelec personnel.

In a 10-page order, Gutierrez ruled that “careful assessment of the facts and circumstances of the instant case show that there is sufficient justification for the imposition of preventive suspension against herein respondents considering all the conditions for its imposition have been met.”

In their complaint, the Fio alleged that tolentino, as head of the Specifications Committee, “provided unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference to otC Paper Supply (OTC) by making prior arrangements and/or divulging valuable and confidential information with them as shown by OTC’S astonishing speed to produce a tailor- fitted, COMELEC-approved, BSF design in just a matter of days.”

Based on the investigation of Fio, it was discovered that on February 9, 2010, OTC submitted a proposal to the Comelec offering for sale their version of BSF to be used for the May 2010 elections.

On February 11, Tolentino presented to the Comelec en banc the BSF prototype of the otC for its consideration. Barely six days after, Tolentino was able to present the second BSF prototype of OTC bearing all the modifi- cations in accordance with the En Banc’s concerns.