Res Gestae
Tupas's dismissal and May 2007 Elections
(Note: The author emailed this article before the armed assault of the Capitol last Wednesday. --Ed.)
It is apparently a bad precedence! The dismissal of Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas is seemingly untimely considering that it happened in the beginning of the election period. I considered it "untimely" because it would create doubt on the credibility not only of the Ombudsman but ultimately of the Arroyo administration. It could have been done months before. Hence, it is of no surprise that the opposition tagged as "Midnight Massacre" the services of suspension and dismissal orders against some of their allies in different parts of the country.
As Tupas and his supporters refuse to vacate the Capitol, we could expect worse scenarios in the coming days. Well, we cannot belittle Armada's camp. Being the newly installed Governor of Iloilo, Armada has the vested right to take position in the Governor's office. It is now on his discretion whether or not to take drastic actions against Tupas. And, all we can do is to cross our fingers against the chaos looming at the capitol.
Today, the security preparations for the upcoming election start as the Commission on Election (COMELEC), Regional Office 6 has set the first coordinating conference with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) Field Commanders at Police Regional Office 6, Camp Delgado, Iloilo City. It would be assumed that the conference is intended for framing the security preparations in order to ensure the peaceful and orderly elections. Hence, we expect more coordinating conferences as we move closer to the May 2007 Elections since the AFP and PNP are deputized by COMELEC.
There was no significant election-related violent incident that transpired in the previous election. Had there been any, PNP PRO 6 would not have been recognized as the top-performing police unit in maintaining the peace and order during the conduct of May 2004 Elections. However, the police must not disregard the possibility that this year's election would demand an enhanced security preparation. There would be a great battle between the slate of the administration and the opposition party, from national down to the local positions. This would be so because the results of this election would determine the picture of political situation of this country until we come to the 2010 National Election.
Indubitably, great things are yet to unfold as we move closer towards the May 2007 Elections. But, with the concerted efforts of the COMELEC, AFP and PNP, nothing would be great as obstacle in ascertaining the peaceful and orderly conduct of elections.
(Send your comments and suggestions to rogatepnp@yahoo.com)