Retired SC associate justice eyed as Melo's replacement

MANILA, Philippines - Outgoing Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo said yesterday that retired Supreme Court associate justice Leonardo Quisumbing was among those being considered as his possible replacement.

He said he also heard about election lawyer Sixto Brillantes, who was legal counsel of the Liberal Party in the May 2010 polls, and Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura, who is set to retire this June. “I heard (about) Justice Quisumbing. These three are said to be being eyed for Comelec chairman,” Melo said in an interview. Quisumbing had been in the judiciary for 12 years before he retired in November 2009. Asked for comment about the three officials, Melo said all of them are qualified to replace him when his resignation takes effect on Jan. 31. “They understand (elections). They are all upright and honest persons and anyone of them will do the Comelec justice. They can run the institution properly,” he said.

Melo’s term is supposed to end in 2015 but he opted to resign, saying he was able to fulfill his mission to hold a successful automated election in May 2010.

Aside from the chairman, the Comelec will also lose Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer and Gregorio Larrazabal when the two retire on Feb. 2.

Among those reported as possible replacements of Ferrer and Larrazabal are Comelec Law Department Director Ferdinand Rafanan, Personnel Department Director Adolfo Ibañez and Region V poll director Zacarias Zaragoza; Management Association of the Philippines chairman Baltazar Endriga, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting legal counsel Howard Calleja, information technology expert and lawyer Al Vitangcol III, Evelyn Singson of the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections and lawyer Juanito Arcilla.  

Melo to Comelec employees: What bonus?

Meanwhile, the Comelec is not about to give in to its employees who are demanding that the savings from the three elections held last year be shared with them as bonuses.

Melo said the agency could not give out parts of the P943-million savings because it would be used to finance the regional elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Aug. 8.

The Comelec chairman noted that aside from the P400-million budget in the General Appropriations Act, Congress has not allocated other funds for the automated ARMM polls.

“We’ll be spending some P2 billion for ARMM election. Congress told us to use our savings so we’ll be forced to use the savings,” he added. 

Earlier, the Alliance of Comelec Employees in Service (ACES) demanded that the poll body give them bonuses from the savings of the May 10 automated election and the Oct. 21 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.