Palace on next Comelec chief: Let the President decide

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday maintained that the decision on the appointment of the next chair of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rests with President Aquino. 

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino has personally screened the nominees.   

“The appointment would be entirely his (Aquino’s) decision after he has taken a personal hand in vetting the people on the shortlist,” she told Palace reporters in an informal briefing.

There are speculations that the Balay and Samar factions in Aquino’s Cabinet have been lobbying for their respective bets.                                                                                           

The Balay faction is allegedly supporting veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, while the Samar group is supposedly rooting for Sixto Brillantes Jr., also a seasoned poll lawyer.                                                                            

Macalintal represented former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the canvassing of the 2004 presidential elections and in the subsequent electoral protest filed by her closest rival, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.

He also represented Aquino when he first ran for Congress in 1998.                                                                            

Brillantes, on the other hand, was the legal counsel of the Liberal Party in the May 2010 elections.                     

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda has denied the reports, saying Aquino is also considering other nominees, including lawyers Carlos Medina and Alex Lacson.                

The resignation of Comelec Chairman Jose Melo becomes effective on Jan. 31. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Francis Escudero support the appointment of either Macalintal or Brillantes because they are knowledgeable on the election system. Enrile said Aquino should appoint somebody who has practiced election law.                                                            

“The more they know about election law, the better... You get a doctor who can describe to you all the diseases, all the medicine, and the anatomy of an individual but has never held a scalpel, and put him in the operating room, he cannot do it. Experience is the best teacher,” Enrile said.            

Escudero said the new Comelec chair should be able to function on his first day in office. “In the past, outsiders have been appointed who sometimes take some time to learn the ropes. With this, the new Comelec chairman can hit the ground running on the first days,” he said.                                                  

Cagayan Rep. Juan Ponce Enrile Jr., on the other hand, supports the inclusion of other candidates in the shortlist to show impartiality.

“Including other names will end all speculations that certain groups within the administration are moving heaven and earth to get hold of the Comelec,” he said. “It would be better if President Aquino has a number of choices to show that he is open to other possible candidates.” – With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero