Macarambon takes oath, inspects new office

Amid questions on his appointment, newly appointed Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Moslemen Macarambon took his oath of office yesterday in Malacañang and vowed to prove his critics wrong.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, meanwhile, said President Arroyo has hinted that her next appointee to the Comelec would be a former Supreme Court justice.

“She did not say who and when the appointment would be announced,” Bunye said.

This, even as pardoned former President Joseph Estrada said yesterday that the Arroyo administration should appoint at least two commissioners recommended by the opposition to make the Comelec “credible.”

In a telephone interview with The STAR, Estrada said that then President Ferdinand Marcos had appointed commissioners from the opposition during the martial law regime.

Estrada also said he does not know Macarambon. 

“Well, I do not want to comment about him (Macarambon). I do not know him. But the Arroyo administration must at least appoint two commissioners in the Comelec from the opposition. It was done by President Marcos, why not the present administration?”

Macarambon, who has been in the legal profession for 30 years, said he was painfully aware of the controversy arising from his appointment last week.

“I will prove them wrong,” the 66-year-old Macarambon said after he took his oath before Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

“I will be an asset because I will bring my 18 years experience as a trial judge. I can help resolve (election-related problems) but of course, I cannot do this alone. We are a collegial body,” he told reporters.

He said he does not harbor any ill feelings towards those who have attacked his appointment to the poll body, saying criticisms of public officials are normal. “I am happy despite all the criticisms. That’s normal.”

Macarambon said he expects rough sailing at the Commission of Appointments (CA) but stressed that he is prepared to explain his side on the issues raised against him. “I am willing to answer them during the proceedings at the Commission on Appointments,” he said.

Macarambon, though, will still have to face the powerful Commission on Appointments chaired by Senate President Manuel Villar and which Senator Panfilo Lacson, who vowed to block his appointment, is a member.

Under article IX, sec. 1, (par. 2) of the Constitution, the Chairman and the Commissioners of the Comelec shall be appointed by the President with the consent of the Commission on Appointments for a term of seven years without reappointment. Of those first appointed, three Members shall hold office for seven years, two Members for five years, and the last Members for three years, without reappointment.

Macarambon’s term of office commenced Oct. 30 of this year and will end on Feb. 2, 2013. He takes over the post left vacant last year following the retirement of Commissioner Mehol Sadain, who is also a Muslim.

Palace officials earlier chided critics for “shooting first and asking questions later” in hitting Macarambon’s appointment. They said Macarambon’s track record should speak for itself.

Ermita pointed out his appointment to the poll body was widely welcomed by various sectors, including some opposition leaders and Muslim groups.

He also pointed out that Macarambon’s appointment is “in line with the President’s commitment to honor the GRP-MNLF agreement to appoint qualified Muslims to positions of responsibility in government.”

Macarambon arrived at the Comelec at around 2 p.m. with some Muslim supporters and was ushered to the office of Law Department chief Alioden Dalaig.

They then proceeded to the office of Comelec acting chair Resurreccion Borra who introduced him to commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Romeo Brawner and Rene Sarmiento.

He will occupy the office of Executive Director Pio Joson who will have to transfer at the second floor of the Palacio del Gobernador building in Intramuros, Manila.

He is expected to attend his first en banc meeting with the other commissioners today.

Humble beginnings

Prior to his appointment, Macarambon was a presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Iligan City, a post he held since Oct. 3, 2003.

His first appointment was as presiding judge of RTC branch 12 in Malabang, Lanao del Sur in September 1989.

Before his Iligan City assignment, Macarambon was assigned to RTC Branch 11 as acting presiding judge for more than seven years; RTC Branch 3 also in Iligan City as acting presiding judge for more than a year; RTC Branch 8 in Marawi City as acting presiding judge for more than four months; RTC Branch 23 in Cagayan de Oro City as assisting judge for more than nine months and RTC Branch 7 in Tubod, Lanao del Norte as acting presiding judge.

In an ambush interview, Macarambon described himself as a “strict” judge who is very particularly about “punctuality.” 

“I have maintained my punctuality in my 18 years as a judge,” he said.

He claimed to have sent one lawyer and fine nine others because of tardiness in Iligan City.

Macarambon noted that he also handled a special court for electoral cases in Marawi City.

He has reiterated his denial about any connection with former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano whose wiretapped conversation allegedly with Pres. Arroyo marred the 2004 presidential polls.

Asked about the denial of Ambassador Hilario Davide Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, that he recommended him, Macarambon admitted seeking his help.     

“I approached him in one occasion to help me. He smiled at me and I presumed that he helped me,” he added.

Macarambon maintained that he is “fully prepared” to assume the duties and responsibilities of a Comelec commissioner as well as to face his critics. 

“Under the law, one is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise.  Pero ako, binibira na ako wala pa akong kasalanan (But I am already being attacked although I have not done yet anything wrong),” he said.

Suspicion that Macarambon was a protégé of Garcillano was bolstered by the fact that the latter mentioned a certain “Louie Macarambon” as guarding the election in Lanao del Sur for him.

The commissioner claimed his nickname is “Bonnie.”

He also denied any relationship with Atty. Renault Macarambon, Comelec’s Elections and Barangay Affairs Department head. 

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, which posted a transcript of the so-called Garci tape, believed that the “Boy” that Garcillano was talking with then was either Renault or Renato Magbutay, a regional director of the Comelec.

Asked about his priority programs for Mindanao, which is known for massive cheating during elections, Macarambon could not yet offer any.

“It’s my first day here. I have yet to see (reports of) the problems. But I intend to do my best to help in anyway I can,” he added.   — Sheila Crisostomo, Rodel Clapano