THE PHILIPPINE STAR

TUESDAY.I JULY 30, 2019

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Bill seel$ to amend'defective' election code

viction and acquits such person."
Irked by the countrj"s legal pm- its.decision that was handed down
cess that allows some governrnent Sarmiento cited the case of last March, even if the Sandigar-
officials convicted of comrption or former Samar congresswoman bayan denied her motion for lack
plunder to get away with it and and now Gov. Milagrosa Tan who of merit.
earn opportunities to seek pub- remains scot-free and still holds Sarmiento also proposed in his
Iic office and avoid jail, a senior public office even if she has al- bill that "any person convicted or
administration lawrnaker said he ready been convicted by tlre Sandi- sanctioned for any offense in any
wants to amend the "defective" ganbayan foreight counts of graft. court, tribunal or body shall like-
Omnibus Election Code. The anti-graft court found wise be disqualified from being
Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Tan guilty for her involvement declared a ca4didate or, if electe4
Sarmiento has filed House Bill 92 in the anomalous purchase of from holiling pubiic office pending
that seeks to amend Sections 12 emergency supplies f or".victims appeal of such conviction or sanc-
and 68 of the Omnibus Election of Typhoon Kidang worth P16.1 tior; where the penalty imposed
Code, which allows officials to million when she was governor includes temporary or perpetual
file a certificate of candidacy as h 2001, and was slapped with a disqualification."
conviction for graft has no! yet minimum of 62 years and a maxi- These amendments in the Om-
become final. mum L15 years' jail term. nibus Election Code would pre-
The Visayan lawmaker has pro- The Sandiganbayan also or- vent officials convicted of grafi
posed the provision, which states: dered Tan's perpetual disqualifi- from holding public office by
"Should the order oriudgment im- cation from holding public office. simply delaying the full execution
posing the sentence be brought up According to Sarmiento, Tan of their conviction through a series
on appeal, the person so sentenced has managed to successfully delay of long and circuitous appeals and
shall still be disqualified until such the implementation of her convic- other delaying tactics, according to
time the appeal reverses the con- tion by fi1ing a motion to reverse Samiento. - Delon Porcalla

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