Bautista revelation: Private or public issue?

Many of those, including myself, who know Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres “Andy” Bautista were shocked at the allegations of his wife Patricia (Tisha) that he has unexplained wealth estimated at over P1 billion, since he is known to be an “upright professional.” 

Saying they have been married for 17 years but have been estranged since 2013, Patricia claimed in an affidavit she submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation that Andy has several bank accounts and real properties as well as shares in several companies which he allegedly did not declare in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). She further said she had confronted Andy with her discovery but he denied them. According to Patricia, she did not want to appear complicit and  it was fear that prompted her to seek an audience with the President.

Andy has vehemently denied his wife’s allegations, calling it “a case of extortion,” admitting they have indeed been having marital problems since four years ago. The daughter of society doyenne Pacita “Baby” Cruz (who tied the knot last year with longtime friend Dr. Danny Vasquez, widower of Ising Madrigal Vasquez), Andy says Tisha wanted a huge settlement amounting to P620 million – which he refused because he did not have that kind of money.

Saying he was ready to face impeachment, Andy says he is the real victim here because it was Tisha who reportedly put the marriage at risk when she started having an affair. According to Andy, he was away when Tisha withdrew money from their accounts and transferred them to her own account, then ransacked his home to obtain cash, passbooks and documents which were then allegedly altered and “doctored” to support her claims of ill gotten wealth. Patricia even hired goons to keep him from entering his home, Andy also said.

Even President Duterte was dragged in to resolve the issue between the couple because according to Andy, the President even made them talk and asked them to resolve their marital problems – knowing how painful it can be since he himself had been in a similar situation. However, it was Tisha who was reportedly resistant to attempts to resolve their marital issues.

People close to Andy – who already knew about the estrangement, but kept quiet about it since they believe it is a private matter between the couple – said they are aghast and could only guess at Tisha’s motivation for coming out with such accusations. Andy’s wife claims she did what she did because she is concerned about her children – but many find this ironic since her “coming out” publicly like that will no doubt affect their young sons.

Andy and Patricia were such a nice couple whom I used to see attending mass at a private condominium chapel. Stories like this about a lovely, once-happy couple who have  become estranged and are now trading accusations is very sad and unfortunate, but it should be left to the couple to resolve their marital issues in private which no one has any business getting his nose into.

But since Andy is a public official, the real interest of the public here is if the wife’s claims of ill gotten wealth are connected with the May 2016 elections – in particular the allegations of cheating in the presidential and vice presidential race. In which case, this becomes a political issue that must be answered.

Senator Grace Poe has also weighed in on the issue, referring to the results in the last presidential elections when she suddenly slid down to number three despite the fact that she was the one who had been trailing the frontrunner – then-Davao City mayor Duterte – with surveys also placing her at the second spot in the presidential race.

Former senator Bongbong Marcos, who has a current electoral protest questioning the results of the vice presidential race that had Leni Robredo winning by a very slim margin, is also very interested about the revelations of Andy’s wife.

Andy himself acknowledged that their marital problems have become marred by politics – which is why the public wants to get to the bottom of the issue and see if indeed, this is simply a private matter between an estranged couple – or one that has serious political ramifications.

Asean@50

Today happens to be the 50th birthday of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which started out as a five-nation group on Aug. 8, 1967 with the Philippines as one of its founding members along with Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. While the goal of economic integration has yet to be realized, the 10-nation regional bloc is emerging as a powerhouse with great economic potential.

ASEAN’s combined population of 630 million and its $2.6 trillion economy makes it the sixth largest in the world – with forecast that its economy would grow at an annual rate of seven percent and a GDP of $4.7 trillion by 2020, and projections that it could become the fourth largest economy in the world by 2030. According to the World Economic Forum, ASEAN member-nations are some of the fastest growing economies, with the Philippines poised to expand with growth rates of over six percent.

Despite the issues ASEAN and its member-nations face – such as North Korea and the South China Sea maritime disputes – the bloc will continue to drive economic growth and play a central security role in the Asia Pacific region.

The ASEAN Regional Forum concludes today and the general feeling is that it was a success, with nations issuing a strong rebuke to North Korea for its missile tests. Even China seems to be cooperating, telling its belligerent neighbor not to provoke the goodwill of international society and to stop its missile and nuclear tests.

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