Enrile a Senator, Philippine Court Rules

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the government elections panel to proclaim fired Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile the winner of a May Senate race, rejecting another candidate’s demand for a vote recount.

Ramon Felipe, chairman of the Philippine Commission on Elections, said the election of President Corazon Aquino’s archrival will be certified Friday.

The 11-1 decision by the high court ended three months of bitter wrangling by Enrile to be named a senator in the country’s newly convened Congress.

Enrile, co-leader of the “people power” revolution that swept Aquino to power in February, 1986, was fired as defense minister last November after some of his aides were implicated in a coup plot against her.

He initially charged that the May 11 elections were fraudulent and said he would not take a seat even if he won one. He later dropped the claim and petitioned the Supreme Court to order the commission to proclaim him a senator.

Enrile Satisfied

“We are not celebrating,” Enrile said Wednesday. “I don’t think this is a cause for celebration. We’re happy that the election is finally coming to a close and that it has taken the Supreme Court to ultimately render a judgment in this whole sordid affair.”

The high court order, which came in a 13-page resolution, reversed an earlier elections panel decision to grant Augusto Sanchez’s request for a recount of the votes. Sanchez placed 25th in the elections for 24 senators.

Sanchez’s request had delayed proclamation of the final winner. Enrile finished with 73,000 votes more than the total for Sanchez.

The Senate convened July 27 with 23 senators, one short of a full upper house.

Enrile’s victory brings to two the number of opposition senators who won a seat in the 24-seat upper house. The only other opposition senator is movie actor Joseph Estrada.