SC TRO on 'Team Patay' tarp may set a precedent — Brillantes

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order temporarily stopping the poll body from taking down of a controversial “Team Patay/Team Buhay” tarpaulin in Bacolod. He was, however, worried that the temporary restraining order (TRO) might “encourage” others to come up with illegal campaign posters. “I don’t really know the consequences of this TRO. It might—ang feeling ko lang, personal, it might encourage others to come out with all of these illegal propaganda,” Brillantes told reporters at a briefing. The Supreme Court, earlier in the day, issued a TRO against the Comelec, which has sent two notices to the Diocese of Bacolod asking it to remove the “Team Patay/Team Buhay” tarpaulin posted on the wall of the San Sebastian Cathedral. The tarpaulin lists the names of senators and party-lists groups and divides them according to their stand on the reproductive health law. Brillantes, who earlier said they were not against the tarpaulin's message but its size, hopes the oral argument set by the high court on March 19 will settle the issue. “It’s a very good action, that there will now be oral arguments and we settle once and for all the issue of whether we are correct or that we cannot regulate oversized posters,” he said. Brillantes said they will raise during the argument that the high court has no jurisdiction over the tarpaulin issue because the poll body has not even released a resolution yet on the matter. “The action of the SC in taking jurisdiction over the case when there is no resolution or order or any issuance made by the Commission as yet on the issue,” he said. This was actually a reiteration of what Brillantes had said on Monday, when he stated that the Comelec has not even filed a case against the Bacolod Diocese  and only sent notices asking it to remove the tarpaulin. At Tuesday's briefing, Brillantes reiterated that the issue was not based on religion but on laws regarding the size of propaganda. “It has nothing to do with religion, it is more of an enforcement of an election law provision.” “So walang relationship 'yan sa religion, so I’m surprised they are talking about the separation of Church and State, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, when our argument is sukat lang ho 'yung pinag-uusapan natin dito. We’re not even raising any other issue. Sukat lang ho,” he continued. — Gian C. Geronimo/KBK, GMA News