Contests before the Electoral Commission.
Section 176
SEC. 176. Contests before the Electoral Commission. — In contests under its jurisdiction, the Electoral Commission shall have and exercise the same powers which the law confers upon the courts including that of summarily punishing contempts, ordering the taking of depositions, the arrest of witnesses for the purpose of compelling their appearance and the production of documents and other evidence, the compulsory payment of costs and expenses which it may have assessed against the parties and their bondsmen, of giving notices of its decisions, resolutions, and orders, and enforcing them through the officials charged with the enforcement of judicial orders, and of making the necessary rules for the effective performance of its constitutional functions. All the expenses of the Electoral Commission and of its members shall be paid from the funds of the National Assembly and its telegrams and correspondence shall be transmitted free of charge.