The news has just come out that Supreme Court Spokesman Midas Marquez announced the Supreme Court’s intention to issue a Temporary Restraining Order on the COMELEC’s purchase of the 80,000 PCOS machines used in the 2010 elections. Oral arguments are scheduled on May 2.
Although the COMELEC has not yet received a copy of the TRO, this announcement will inevitably cause ripples. After a fashion, the prompt issuance of the TRO bodes well in the sense that the Court clearly is cognizant of the time element at play. Hopefully, a prompt TRO will translate to an equally prompt and definitive final decision on the merits.
In the meantime, some key points bear remembering:
1. A temporary restraining order is not a decision on the merits, so it might be a little premature to break out the champagne.
2. The COMELEC has not been idle and we stand ready to deal with whatever the Court decides. However, the issues of preparation time and cost which prompted a resort to the option to purchase in the first place have not yet been resolved either.
3. Other preparations for the elections of 2013 not covered by the TRO will continue.