Comelec: What feud?

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista yesterday debunked claims that he has a feud with Commissioner Rowena Guanzon regarding her comment before the Supreme Court (SC) on the disqualification case against presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe.

“I don’t want anymore to belabor that. I want to say that projecting the Comelec in disarray is not accurate. There is just a misunderstanding in the protocol on filing which we want to clarify in an en banc meeting,” he said in an interview.

Bautista has likened what is happening at the poll body to family members having some disagreements. “I think this will become an opportunity for us to make the Comelec stronger,” he added.

Last week, Bautista issued a memorandum asking Guanzon to explain “under whose authority” she filed a comment before the SC without the concurrence of the entire Comelec.

In her Twitter account, Guanzon said the comment had the “imprimatur of the Comelec en banc.” She added she is “not a subordinate or employee” of Bautista and that he has “no administrative supervision or control over me.”

Misunderstanding

Bautista said the misunderstanding was brought about by the refusal of the Office of the Solicitor General to act as the Comelec’s legal counsel at the SC.

“As you know we have an emergency situation, wherein the Office of the SolGen told us that he could not represent the Comelec because of a conflicting position with respect to the matter,” he said.

Asked whether the poll body will withdraw the comment filed by Guanzon, Bautista said it would be discussed during a full meeting today.

On Guanzon’s insinuation that he is biased for Poe, Bautista said his dissenting and concurring opinions on the poll body’s rulings on her cases will speak for him. 

Meanwhile, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body filed its comment yesterday on the disqualification case filed by lawyer Estrella Elamparo against Poe. 

Jimenez said the commissioners had the opportunity to give their opinion on the draft comment.

Guanzon added the comment contained the signatures of Bautista and the six other commissioners. 

Lawyering for whom?

Sen. Francis Escudero said Guanzon should name the person or group she seems to be lawyering for.

“She cannot and should not be the lawyer of anyone and clearly she was not authorized by the Comelec and did not represent the Comelec when she filed her comment, so who was she representing or lawyering for,” Escudero said.

Escudero also slammed Guanzon for her obvious bias against Poe. 

“Elections should not only be clean, honest and peaceful, it should also be fair and credible. I hope Commissioner Guanzon will henceforth stop and avoid any and all moves or statements that tend to show bias, not necessarily in favor of another candidate but, against a candidate… against Senator Poe,” he said.

“The bullying has to stop,” he added.

Asked to comment on Guanzon’s challenge that he should just act as Poe’s counsel before the high tribunal, Escudero said he is ready to defend Poe not in the court but before the bar of public opinion. 

“I can and will, of course, always defend Senator Grace in the bar of public opinion. I cannot, however, represent her because I am prohibited by the Constitution from appearing before any court or tribunal… as a very good lawyer, she should know this,” he added.

Escudero added that Poe has far better lawyers who are representing her. 

The senator, who is running in the May elections as Poe’s running mate, earlier expressed dismay at Guanzon’s show of “insubordination” and disrespect to Bautista as well as the poll body as an institution. 

Escudero said Guanzon’s action was an attempt to undermine the integrity of the poll body and the May elections.

He urged Guanzon to make public the full Comelec resolution that authorized her to file the comment on behalf of the poll body.

Resolve differences

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. urged Bautista and Guanzon to resolve their differences and instead focus on preparations for the elections in May.

“Get together and act together,” Belmonte said.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo said the infighting in the Comelec could undermine the credibility of the results of the elections.

“We now have a situation where another commissioner is acting as if she, and no longer the chair, speaks for the entire commission,” Romulo said.

“The question in many people’s minds is whether there is a move to oust or to make Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista irrelevant because he voted in favor of Sen. Grace Poe,” he said.

Romulo is a senatorial candidate under Poe’s ticket. 

“Only a credible election in May will guarantee political stability and further our efforts at ensuring that no one will be left behind in our march to progress and prosperity,” Romulo said. 

“As things stand, we cannot leave the fate of the Republic to the Comelec,” he added. 

Mature people 

Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II distanced himself from the rift between the two Comelec officials, saying they are mature people who can solve their differences on their own.

“Let’s leave that to them. We have nothing to do with that. They are the ones who will decide,” Roxas said in an interview in Cavite last Sunday.

Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid spokesman and Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez criticized Escudero for saying that Guanzon is a threat to democracy. 

“It seems that Chiz’s concept of democracy is getting everything he wants. The SET (Senate Electoral Tribunal) and SC (Supreme Court) are okay if they get what they want. These institutions are very wrong if they did not,” Gutierrez said in a statement.  

“These institutions were not created to give in to his caprices. For us, this is an internal matter of the Comelec and we respect whatever decision they will make,” he added. 

Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe said the infighting could lead to the impeachment of the Comelec officials. 

“Should this controversy persist, so much so that thecredibility and reputation of the Comelec will be extremely prejudiced, then that is the only time we can discern who among the commissioners should be culpable for impeachment,” Batocabe said.

Comelec officials can only be removed through impeachment. – With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Alexis Romero