Davao poll officer is new Comelec commissioner

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte has appointed Davao CIty election officer Marlon Casquejo as new commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), replacing Christian Robert Lim who retired last February. 

Casquejo has long served as election officer in different parts of Southern Mindanao before he assumed the post in  Davao City. 

But the President has yet to name another commissioner to the Comelec replacing Arthur Lim, whose term also ended last February. 

Casquejo’s term as Comelec commissioner is set to end by February 2025.

Casquejo’s appointment came out last June 18 and was released to the media yesterday.

Before Casquejo, the President also appointed former Court of Appeals associate justice Soccoro Inting as Comelec commissioner.

Comelec employees welcomed the appointment of a colleague as their new commissioner, saying he is qualified for the post since he is an insider.

According to Mac Ramirez, president of Comelec Employees Union, they believed Casquejo is qualified to be a part of the commission because he comes from the ranks.

“The Comelec-EU believes attorney Casquejo is worthy of the post considering that he is an insider and, as such, he has under his belt years of experience and expertise in election management and administration,” he said.

Ramirez noted being a ranking Comelec official in the field prior to his appointment, Casquejo “knows by heart the sentiments of the more than 5,000 Comelec rank and file employees.”

Casquejo will join Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas and Commissioners Luie Guia, Al Parreño, Rowena Guanzon and Inting in the seven-man body.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) was asked yesterday to investigate the eight shipping containers found in Taguig City that reportedly contained ballot boxes used in the 2016 national elections.

In a two-page letter received by Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña, the BOC was informed that the 40-foot shipping containers have been suspiciously stockpiled in a private property near the Hagonoy Pumping Station along C-6 Road for over a month now.

The letter was sent by Mary Glosary Bautista, whose family owns the property. She said the containers have been kept in the lot without their consent.

She said the container vans are all locked and are being guarded by people claiming to be employees of the Taguig City Hall.

Bautista revealed that one of her workers was able to peep inside the van and saw ballot boxes used in the last elections.

She said that they tried to check the contents of the containers but they were stopped by people supposedly from Taguig City Hall. – With Sheila Crisostomo, Christina Mendez, Edu Punay