SC orders Brillantes, et al to answer ALAM disbarment case

SC orders Brillantes, et al 

to answer ALAM disbarment case

This is another cause for Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr. to cry as he is again rebuked by no less than the highest court of the land.

The Supreme Court has required Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials, led by Chairman Brillantes to file their Comments in ten (10) days why they should not be disbarred for violating the Status Quo order issued by the Highest Court in relation to the petition for accreditation of Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM).

On May 10, 2013 Berteni Cataluña Causing, the counsel and president of ALAM, received the Resolution from the Supreme Court dated April 1, 2013.

In filing the disbarment complaint against Brillantes, then Commissioner Rene V. Sarmiento, then Commissioner Armando C. Velasco, Commissioner Lucenito N. Tagle, Commissioner Elias R. Yusoph, Commissioner Robert Christian Lim, ALAM insisted that these officials of the Comelec violated the status quo order issued by the Supreme Court in a Resolution dated December 4, 2012 directing the election body to respect the rights of the parties prior the issuance of the denial of the petition for accreditation of ALAM.

Commissioner Maria Grace Padaca was not included in the disbarment complaint because she is not a lawyer.

ALAM insisted that among those that must be respected by these Comelec officials should be Comelec Resolution No. 9467, which states that all partylist applicants whose applications were denied by the Comelec can still be allowed to join the raffle for the placement in the official PCOS ballot if these applicants have pending petitions before the Supreme Court questioning the denial.

After receiving the December 4, 2012 Resolution from the High Court, these officials passed resolution 9591 on December 19, 2013 revising Resolution No. 9467, that it is requiring this time those partylist groups that were denied accreditation to secure a mandatory injunction from the SC before these shall be allowed to be placed in the official PCOS ballot.

On January 4, 2013 or Friday, ALAM and 12 other partylist groups situated like ALAM's were allowed to join the raffle for the placements in the official PCOS ballot.

On January 7, 2013, Monday, these Comelec officials promulgated unilaterally and without hearing Resolution No. 9604 removing ALAM and 12 other groups from the list of those whose names shall be placed in the PCOS ballot.

Without wasting time, ALAM filed the disbarment complaint, a motion to cite them in contempt and a new petition seeking to direct the Comelec to include ALAM to the PCOS ballot.

With the Resolution of the Supreme Court requiring Brillantes and co. to explain why they should not be disbarred, the search for justice by ALAM has gained a big step.