Poll chief Andres Bautista cries 'extortion' against wife

MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections Chair Andres Bautista on Monday attempted to clear his name from corruption allegations and said his wife’s claims may be politically and financially motivated.

"Hindi po totoo iyang mga paratang na iyan. Matagal na po kaming may problemang mag-asawa na ngayon ay nababahiran na ng pulitika. Kasama ko po ang aking pamilya ng Bautista at pati na po ang kanyang pamilya, ang Cruz family, sa labang ito," Bautista said in a radio interview with dzMM.

"Nakapag-meeting daw siya sa ibang political personality. Siguro sa mga susunod na araw, malalaman at malalaman din po iyan," he said.

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Bautista broke his silence after estranged wife Patricia went public and talked to several media outfits, where she claimed that she has evidence that her husband amassed about P1 billion worth of unexplained wealth.

Patricia said the proof she has against her husband include bank and property documents as well as several passbooks under Bautista's name.

Patricia claimed that the property and bank accounts were not declared by the poll chief in his 2016 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. Bautista only declared a net worth of P176.3 million in his SALN.

Duterte as marriage counselor

Patricia’s allegations came days after she, her parents and Bautista went to Malacañang and met with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Patricia said in earlier reports that she sought an audience with Duterte, whom she believe could handle the allegedly incriminating documents she found against her husband.

The poll chief, meanwhile, said Duterte gave them advice based on his own experience and even talked to them separately. He said the president acted more than a mediator, even becoming a marriage counselor for the couple in crisis.

Bautista said that after the meeting, he thought "things were heading in the right direction" but Patricia suddenly filed an affidavit against him before the National Bureau of Investigation.  

"Ang bait po ng pangulo at siya po ay nagbigay ng payo sa aming dalawa. Mayroon din po siyang mga rekomendasyon," Bautista said in the same radio interview.

"In fact, he was hoping that we would amicably settle, and he was even proposing certain figures, even inviting us to go to Pearl Farm on his account," he said in a separate interview with ANC.

Bautista said his marital woes with his wife started in 2013. He tried to fix the marriage through counseling for the sake of his children, but his wife maintained relations with another man.

"Itong problema pong ito ay nagsimula noong 2013 dahil mukhang mayroon po siyang third party at ito po ay alam ng marami," Bautista alleged.

Robbed, locked out

The poll chief said his relationship with his wife worsened in November 2016 when he went on an official trip to the United States to observe the elections.  He claimed his wife planned to extort money from him.

Bautista said that his bank, BDO, informed him that his estranged wife withdrew $117,000 and P250,000 from their joint account and transferred it to her personal account without notice.

"I tried to call her and basically asked her why she was doing this. She didn't want to take my calls. I was on my way home from the US back to Manila, my sister got a text from her saying that I should no longer go back to my house and that she was sending to my clothes to my sister's house and that I should just stay there until this matter was resolved," Bautista said on ANC.

Bautista then narrated how he was locked out of his own home, already guarded by armed men, upon his return from the trip. He was allowed to enter hours later after he pleaded to Patricia, only find out that his locked cabinets were forced open and his documents were taken.

The polling chief claimed his wife’s affidavit contained "doctored" evidence against him. He said the initial allegation was that he had P2 billion.

Bautista also alleged his wife issued "blind items" to smear his name and demanded P1 billion in exchange of not going public with her allegations. He claimed his wife and her lawyer were asking P1 billion and two condominium units for their silence.

"Kung ano-anong blind item ang inilalabas tungkol sa akin, ako raw ay bakla, ako raw ay mayroong anak sa labas. Kung mababasa niyo lang. 'Di ko lang pinatulan dahil bata pa ang aking mga anak," he said.

Legal battle: Husband against wife

For apparently besmirching his name, Bautista said he will file a case against Patricia with both their families standing by him. 

"Ipapakita po namin na ito ay isang kasong pangingikil at panggigipit. Ako po ang biktima rito — biktima po ng pagtataksil at panggagahasa sa aking sariling pamamahay," Bautista said.

"I am also in close contact with my family members, and this is both from the Bautista side as well as from her side. They know the entire situation. They know that in this situation, I am the victim. I am the victim of betrayal. You know, I never thought, that a man could be raped. That is how I felt when I when I was prevented from entering my own house," he said.

On Monday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the alleged "misdeclared wealth" of Bautista as well as his perceived violation of the anti-money laundering law.

Bautista said he is ready to face any impeachment complaint in the future.

"As an impeachable officer, that is always part and parcel of our, you know, part of the terrain, so definitely, if and when that happens then I will have to face it," Bautista said.