Joselito Cayetano threatens impeach raps vs Comelec execs

Senatorial candidate Joselito Pepito Cayetano threatened to impeach officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should the poll body remove him from its list of senatorial candidates. Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos on Monday said Joselito, namesake of opposition senatorial bet Alan Peter Cayetano, made the threat through a manifestation filed Saturday on the en banc resolution issued by the poll body on his disqualification. "[We were told that] if his name is deleted [from the list of senatorial candidates], we will be charged with impeachment," he said. He denied that the poll body was favoring Pepito over Alan with the issuance of the Comelec Law Department memorandum that the resolution is not yet final and executory and Pepito is still a candidate. "As long as there is an appeal, as long as there is no finality, then you are still a candidate," Abalos said. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez on Saturday said Joselito had five days to appeal the poll body's decision, which removed his name from the list of senatorial candidates for the May 14 midterm elections. Jimenez added that ballots with only "Cayetano" written on them will be considered "stray votes" and thus will not be counted in favor of Alan or Joselito. In some precincts at San Juan on Election Day, Joselito's name was deleted using permanent markers from the list of names at poll secrecy folders. - GMANews.TV