THE United Nationalist Alliance warned Friday that the continued stay of six dismissed officers of the National Printing Office—which is printing 57 million ballots for the May elections—is part of a grand plan by the Palace to control the outcome of the polls.
UNA spokesperson Mon Ilagan said that refusal of the six Palace-appointed executives to vacate their posts despite a dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman last year was alarming and could jeopardize the entire electoral process.
“Who are these people from Malacañang who defy an order from the Ombudsman? It is obvious that they are up to something to control the elections,” Ilagan said.
In July last year, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the dismissal of Emmanuel Andaya, NPO director; Sylvia Banda, chief administrative officer; Josefina Samson, printing operations chief; Antonio Sillona, printing operations chief; Bernadette Lagumen, supervising administrative officer; and Ma. Gracia Enriquez,
printing operations assistant, after finding them guilty of grave misconduct over the anomalous printing of travel clearance certificates worth P1.9 million in November 2010.
Despite the Ombudsman’s order, the six NPO executives remain active and have not been replaced.
Earlier, a Catholic bishop also expressed alarm over the continued stay of the six NPO executives, noting that their refusal to leave their posts may endanger the elections this year.
In a letter to the Ombudsman, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo warned that the NPO officials’ stay undermines the credibility of this year’s polls.
“We are very alarmed that there must be something suspicious behind the administration’s continued refusal to implement the said Ombudsman order,” Pabillo said.
“With the NPO designated to print the official ballots for the 2016 national and local elections, we cannot help but wonder why dismissed government officials headed by Emmanuel Andaya will be managing the operations,” he added.
The government-controlled NPO is tasked by the Commission on Elections to print 57 million ballots to be used in the May national elections.
UNA said it has received reports that some quarters associated with the ruling Liberal Party will cause the printing of extra ballots.
“Malacañang must explain why it refuses to remove its people from the NPO. The people also want a convincing explanation as to why they ignored the Ombudsman’s orders. We can only suspect this is part of the grand plan… to manipulate the 2016 elections,” Ilagan said.
The Palace defended its decision to keep the NPO executives on, saying they would stay in place until their motions for reconsideration have been resolved.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. defended the dismissed NPO executives as having “integrity” and denied their retention was part of a plot to control the outcome of the elections.
He also praised the NPO for its “operational efficiency.”
“The cases filed against certain officials of the NPO will not in any way hamper its operations, including the printing of the official ballots,” Coloma said.
“The officials involved have filed their respective motions for reconsideration of the Office of the Ombudsman order and are awaiting their resolution,” he added.