Melo replacement known in January

MANILA, Philippines - The next chairman of the Commission on Elections – who will most likely be an outsider – will be named by President Aquino next month before Chairman Jose Melo retires on Jan. 31, Malacañang announced yesterday.

“We recognize the need to appoint a chairman for the Comelec because of the urgency. The plan is to make a new appointment perhaps by January,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters in a briefing, but refused to divulge who and how many are the candidates vying for the post.

“I know of only a few, one or two, but I don’t know the exact number. I’m sorry if I cannot tell you who the candidates for next Comelec chief are. It’s in the process right now,” he said.

Lacierda revealed that the list of nominees is now with the Office of the President.

“It will be discussed and finalized in due time, and the concerns of the Comelec will reach the Executive Secretary and the President,” he said.

Last November, Melo submitted to Aquino his resignation that will take effect in January. He reportedly wants to move on after successfully overseeing the country’s first automated elections last May and the barangay elections last October.

Lacierda said Melo’s successor would have to serve his unexpired term, or until 2015.

Melo, who is already 78 years old, is a retired Supreme Court justice.

He was appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his fellow Kapampangan, as Comelec chairman in 2008.

Prior to his stint at the Comelec, Melo was appointed in 2006 by Arroyo to head a body to probe the various cases of unexplained and political killings in the country, which targeted mostly militant activists and members of media.

The investigating body, known as the Melo Commission, concluded that most of the killings could be attributed to the military, particularly to retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan.

Improved relations

Meantime, Lacierda gave assurances that the relationship among members of President Aquino’s Cabinet was improving even as he made a slip that things were not very smooth in the beginning.

“I don’t see any disunity there. Frankly speaking, maybe perhaps for the first few months we were not talking to each other, I mean we were not communicating properly but that has been settled. The messaging has been consistent,” Lacierda said in a press briefing.

“Certainly, there’s room for improvement for next year as we move a long. This is a five-year administration now. We really have to improve our services to the people and that’s a goal that we promise,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda also stressed that the statements of Sen. Francis Escudero hitting Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang for supposedly speculating on the Cabinet revamp was not a sign that there was still discord among the “factions” within the President’s camp.

Escudero is identified with the Samar group while Carandang allegedly belongs to the Balay group.

“I don’t think Ricky Carandang was speculating. He was just stating a matter of fact that, as the President mentioned, three people will be revamped. So it’s a concern among the Cabinet members who among them will be asked to leave the Cabinet. As to who, again, we don’t know. So that’s just a fairly neutral answer by Secretary Carandang. There was nothing offensive or insulting or preempting the President there. He would be wrong if he said there would be revamp and then the President would come in. And, by the way, Ricky was present in that interview so he knew what transpired between the interviewers, the STAR people, and the President. So he was fully aware of the interview,” Lacierda said.

“You should see us working – I have no problem working with people from the Samar group. I work well with (Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio) Sonny Coloma. I work well with the executive secretary (Paquito Ochoa Jr. who is also identified with the Samar group). When he calls for a meeting we all go, we discuss our matters, especially matters that affect the administration. So the factions as we all know are more apparent than real,” he said. – With Aurea Calica