High Court absolves Comelec officials

THE Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the ruling of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez absolving officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of automated counting machines (ACMs).

The court en banc found that the action taken by the Ombudsman “cannot be characterized as arbitrary, capricious, whimsical or despotic.”