Palace defends Ombudsman’s recommendation on Comelec

Malacañang challenged its critics yesterday to show proof that the Arroyo administration had a hand in the recommendation of the Office of the Ombudsman to impeach only a few officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over the failed P1.2-billion poll automation project.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the opposition should respect the independence of the Comelec and the Office of the Ombudsman as what the Palace has been doing since the recommendation to impeach Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra and five other officials was released.

He said the Palace "has consistently kept its hands off all controversies surrounding the Comelec and we do not dabble in the affairs and decisions of the Ombudsman."

"We hope our critics will offer proof of wrongdoing, if any, rather than obstructing this case and carping in the media to prop up their sagging political careers," Bunye said.

The Ombudsman, he said, has not yet finished its investigation so all concerned should give it a chance to conclude its work and allow the judicial process to take its course.

Meanwhile, former Senate president Jovito Salonga urged the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday to revise its recommendation on the billion-peso MegaPacific deal to include other election officials who approved the contract.

Salonga said the Ombudsman’s recommendations could have implications on the final ruling of the Supreme Court on the allegedly anomalous deal.

"The one representing the (Office of) the Ombudsman should not have singled out Borra," Salonga said, referring to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. "Borra is only one of those who made the wrong decision."

He said all those found involved in the MegaPacific deal should be charged before the proper court and that "the Supreme Court will resolve the controversy by ruling on the acts of the Ombudsman."

As this developed, House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said that Borra should face Congress following his declaration that he is ready to face impeachment proceedings over the controversy.

"He said he is ready to face impeachment. So, Congress may be a good forum for him to acquit himself in the bar of public opinion," said Nograles, who represents the first district of Davao City where Borra hails from.

Several prominent leaders in Davao City have thrown their support though to the beleaguered Comelec commissioner.

Former Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Davao City chapter president Ramon Edison Batacan said he believes Borra could have been just a scapegoat in the tainted P1.2-billion computerization contract.

Prior to his present post as Comelec commissioner, Borra was Comelec director for Southern Mindanao for several years in the 1970s and had also served as provincial election chief in Iloilo.

Batacan lamented how Borra was singled out by the Ombudsman when there were other Comelec officials who signed the contract with MegaPacific eSolutions Inc.

"I’ve known Commissioner Borra as a hardworking and straight-forward person. I believe in his integrity as a member of the Bar," Batacan said.

Sunstar Davao publisher Antonio Ajero also described Borra as an honorable man who had served the Comelec well through the years. He said Borra is remembered here as a cautious, fair and straightforward election official whose service was never tainted with any controversy.

"I know the man very well. We were neighbors and I was even the godfather of one of his children. They lived a very simple life. And I know how hardworking and professional the man is," Ajero added. "I think it was that son who gifted Borra a house in Manila when he became Comelec commissioner."

City Councilor Jesus Zozobrado agreed that Borra was one of those who served the Comelec well during his stint here as regional director.

"I understand the situation of Borra now because of the pressures of his office which is different when you are just a regional director," Zozobrado said.

Meanwhile, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay also questioned why Borra is the lone official being blamed for the purchase of the allegedly overpriced automated counting machines when it is the Comelec as a body which should be held liable.

Binay called on officials of the poll body to resign for delicadeza, including Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos.

"Why single out Borra? The other commissioners should also be charged since Comelec is a collegial body that approved the contract for the computerization project," Binay said. — Paolo Romero, Helen Flores, Edith Regalado, Michael Punongbayan