De Lima tops Namfrel’s online survey for Brillantes’ replacement

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima topped the list of possible replacements for outgoing Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. in an online survey conducted by the National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel).

As of Jan. 23, De Lima got 62 percent of the votes, followed by Comelec Commissioner Luie Tito Guia with 25 percent and former Associate Justice Antonio Nachura with 12.5 percent.

De Lima, who used to practice election law before joining the government, has always been the choice of Brillantes, who retires on Feb. 2.

According to Namfrel executive director Eric Alvia, the survey has been going on since October 2014. 

“It’s open to the public and it’s not a scientific survey.  It’s just where the public can put their opinion on who they think are the best persons to replace the retiring officials of the Comelec,” he said.

Aside from Brillantes, Comelec Commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph are also retiring next month after completing their seven-year term in office.

Economist and television host Winnie Monsod and National Commission on Muslim Filipino Commissioner Edilwasif Baddiri led the top 10 choices for Comelec commissioners.  They each got 22 percent of the votes.

Monsod is a professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines School of Economics and the wife of former Comelec chairman Christian Monsod.

Baddiri, on the other hand, graduated with honors from the Ateneo de Manila Law School. He obtained his Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University as a Fulbright scholar in 2006.

“But more than the personality (we want to know) what are the qualities that they want to see in a chairman and in a commissioner. For both positions, always on top were integrity and honesty,” Alvia noted.

For Comelec chairman, the other qualities that the respondents were looking for were independence, fearlessness, transparency and managerial skills as well as legal expertise in improving the electoral process.

The respondents tend to favor commissioners they perceive to be independent, dedicated, transparent, hardworking and intelligent. They also prefer candidates with managerial skills and coming from the rank and file.

Alvia stressed they do not intend to submit the results of the survey to Malacañang.

The survey will continue to be open to the public through www.namfrel.com.ph until the replacements of the three poll officials are announced.