Ferrer welcomes probe on treatment of whistle-blowers

MANILA, Philippines – Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer yesterday welcomed the planned investigation of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on his supposed ill treatment of two whistle-blowers during a meeting last week.

 Ferrer said, however, that CHR chair Leila de Lima just wants the investigation because she is harboring a grudge against him.

He said he had embarrassed De Lima back in 2007 when she was the legal counsel of Sen. Aquilino Pimen-tel III, who ran in the 2007 mid-term polls.                                                 

“In one of our hearings sometime in 2007, then Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos ordered her to take a seat because, as he said, she was saying the same thing. But she did not want to stop so I told her to stop or I’ll ask the security to take her out of the room. It was only then that she stopped,” Ferrer said in a telephone interview. “Maybe she was embarrassed.”                                                                     

Last week, Comelec officials invited Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting member Arwin Serrano and Melchor Magdamo, the former election lawyer who exposed the alleged irregularities in the planned purchase of P700-million worth ballot secrecy folders from OTC Paper Supply from P380 each.                                                                       

But during the meeting, a shouting match erupted between Serrano and Ferrer who, in rage, supposedly pointed a finger at Serrano and called him a “liar.”

He also allegedly kicked a chair. De Lima had said Ferrer’s behavior should not be tolerated. Ferrer, however, said that De Lima is just after media mileage.                                                                                      

“I want a formal investigation on this so that we’ll know who is at fault ... I’m open to (a face off) with Serrano and Magdamo before the en banc and I also want her (De Lima) to be there,” he added.