‘Lanto, Sardillo appointments done in good faith’

MANILA, Philippines - Senior administration lawmakers said yesterday that there should be no fuss over the botched appointments of Macabangkit Lanto and election lawyer Ma. Bernadette Sardillo, as both have already declined their appointments.

Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento and Iloilo Rep. Jerry Treñas, in separate statements, said President Aquino appointed Lanto and Sardillo in good faith.

Sarmiento said while it is true that Aquino’s selection committee may have committed lapses in endorsing the appointments, “this does not mean this is already part of an alleged plot to cheat in the May midterm elections.”

Sardillo was reportedly not interested in the post, while Lanto had been unseated in the past by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal due to alleged cheating.

“People who are claiming that this is part of a conspiracy to cheat in the May elections are watching too many soap operas. This is nothing more than a case of some systems failure in exercising due diligence as far as the appointees are concerned before their papers were forwarded to the President for his signature,” Sarmiento said.

He said that if there was indeed a plan to cheat in the May polls, Sardillo would not even be considered for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) post because among her clients were politicians who belong to the opposition.

Treñas said the United National Alliance (UNA) is “just trying to create a mountain out of a molehill in an effort to boost the bid of their senatorial candidates.”

Nobody lobbied against Sardillo

Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca yesterday belied insinuations that she lobbied against the appointment of Sardillo.

“No. No. I did not go anywhere,” she said in an ambush interview at the Comelec. She refused to answer other questions from reporters.

Rumors circulated that Padaca and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had lobbied against Sardillo’s appointment.

Sardillo was the lawyer of former Isabela governor Benjamin Dy who tried to unseat Padaca as the province’s governor in 2009. Padaca’s lawyer then was de Lima.

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said he did not have any knowledge about such opposition from Padaca.

Padaca can travel to UAE

As this developed, the Sandiganbayan granted Padaca’s request for travel clearance to the United Arab Emirates next month.

Magistrates of the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division chaired by Associate Justice Roland Jurado approved her motion to travel after ombudsman prosecutors did not object.

Padaca is facing graft and malversation of public funds charges for alleged involvement in the grant of a P25-million rice program contract to a private firm without public bidding when she was governor of Isabela in 2006. – With Michael Punongbayan, Sheila Crisostomo