The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and media outfit Rappler have been asked to file their respective comments on a petition seeking to nullify the two organizations’ voter information campaign agreement.
A GMA News report said the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday gave the order to the two organizations.
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) earlier asked the SC to void the Comelec-Rappler agreement. One of the goals of the agreement is to authorize the news site to provide election-related information for the May 9 elections.
The Comelec, in response, suspended the implementation of the agreement.
“The Court En Banc during its deliberations today ordered the respondents to file their respective comments on the petition and application for a TRO within a non-extendable period of 10 days,” SC spokesperson Brian Hosaka, quoted by GMA News, said.
“Respondents to file their comments via personal service to the Court,” he added.
The petition from Solicitor General Jose Calida came several days after he warned Comelec that it would face a court case if it did not heed the call for the agreement to be rescinded.
Calida has claimed that Rappler is a foreign corporation, and that its participation in the Philippine elections through the agreement was thus considered foreign interference, a violation of the country’s election laws and the 1987 Constitution, the GMA News report said.
Rappler had earlier stressed that it was a Filipino-owned entity and the agreement was the same pact that the Comelec entered into with other media organizations to inform the electorate of factual elections-related information.