CA approves appointments of 2 Comelec commissioners

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Appointments (CA) yesterday approved the appointments of Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioners Al Parreño and Luie Tito Guia, about a year after they were appointed by President Aquino.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the CA committee on constitutional commissions and offices, presented before plenary the credentials of Guia and Parreño.

Prior to his appointment, Guia worked on the staff of former Comelec commissioner Christian Monsod. He was also a consultant of the Comelec assigned at the office of Commissioner Regalado Maambong, among others.

Guia, a lawyer, is a member of election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE).

Parreño, appointed on Jan. 6, 2013, is an information technology expert. Since he is a lawyer by profession, he became part of the team of private prosecutors during the impeachment trial of former chief justice Renato Corona. Nobody questioned his integrity before the body.

In the proceedings at the committee level last Tuesday, Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas raised an issue over the successive reappointments of Cabinet secretaries and other officials who failed to pass CA scrutiny.

Fariñas also pointed to a resolution pressed by President Aquino when he was still a senator that questioned why some presidential appointees managed to stay on in their posts despite being bypassed a number of times.

Since President Aquino assumed office in June 2010, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman have not passed scrutiny of the CA. They have been reappointed by the President, along with Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla.

Save for Petilla, the three have repeatedly been issued reappointments by Aquino. Petilla, whose predecessor was now Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene Almendras, was appointed only in October 2012.

Presidential Communications Operations Office  Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. earlier said the four Cabinet members who have been bypassed again by the CA still have the trust and confidence of President Aquino.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, who sits as overall CA chairman, said Aquino should issue new ad interim appointments to De Lima, Soliman and Petilla.– Delon Porcalla