COMELEC en banc asked to resolve cases of 42 teachers accused of cheating
BACOLOD CITY — Former Bacolod City Mayor Luzviminda Valdez confirmed recently that she manifested two years ago before Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Jessie Suarez not to pursue the case against 42 Bacolod teachers who were accused of alleged cheating during the 2004 election.
Valdez issued this statement after the members of the Association of Classroom Teachers–Bacolod (ACT-Ba) along with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers–Negros and Bacolod City Public School Teachers Association (BCPSTA) made a position paper strongly condemning the inability of the Commission on Election (COMELEC) to protect and uphold the integrity of teachers against harassments and intimidations since the case filed by Valdez was not given due course and still pending before the COMELEC Legal Department.
She stressed that when Atty. Suarez conducted a preliminary hearing last 2006, she had already made a decision not to pursue the case since these teachers made a lot of sacrifices during the 2004 election. However, the case was given due attention by COMELEC Manila based on the evidence presented even Valdez manifested her unwillingness not to pursue her complaint.
“I was surprised when Chairman Melo made a resolution referring this matter to their Legal Department,” Valdez said.
Earlier, the militant and progressive teachers organization made a position paper last week condemning the inability of the COMELEC in redeeming the teachers’ trust and confidence by not putting conclusion to the case.
“While we laud the efforts of Atty. Jessie B. Suarez, Provincial Election Supervisor, in resolving the case which resulted to a Resolution dated June 3, 2008 we were disheartened by the decision of the COMELEC En Banc to reverse and set aside that resolution and remanded the cases to the Law department of the COMELEC for the conduct (again) of preliminary investigation.”
“After 5 years of leaving teachers to a shameful and humiliating situation, the COMELEC is still just in the preliminary investigation and we do not know if they have already accomplished this,” the groups stated on their position letter.
They felt that the COMELEC which is supposed to be the “partner” of teachers in ensuring “clean”, “honest” and “credible” election and supposed to protect the latter from any form of harassment and intimidations now becomes their prosecutors. This progressive teachers organization appealed to the COMELEC that the 42 teachers be given justice and they can win back the trust and confidence of the electorate and could serve the 2010 election.