Brillantes retirement unlikely to affect poll preparations

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. yesterday expressed confidence that his impending retirement would not delay preparations for the 2016 presidential elections.

Brillantes said this early, the Comelec has started laying down the necessary groundwork to allow a smooth transition of incoming poll officials who will replace him and two other commissioners.

“Our target is to finish, before we retire, the bidding for the technology to be used in the elections so that the new poll officials will just do the implementation,” Brillantes said in a radio interview.

Brillantes said he would no longer be able to participate in the 2016 elections, but he is now exerting all efforts to help the poll officials who will be left behind when he steps down early next year.

The Comelec chief is set to retire in February 2015 along with Commissioners Elias Yusoph and Lucenito Tagle.

The impending retirement of Brillantes and the two other commissioners will leave only Commissioners Christian Lim, Luie Guia, Al Parreño and Arthur Lim as remaining members of the Comelec.

Brillantes said the Comelec hopes to decide by next month what technology will be used in the coming elections.