Bautista lawyer hit over FB posts

MANILA, Philippines – A lawyer working for Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista received a dressing down yesterday from Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas for some unflattering posts he and his wife made on Facebook about the congressman.

During the confirmation hearing of Comelec Commissioner Sheriff Abas, Fariñas called the attention of Bautista about an employee in his office identified as Kris Ablan who previously ran against the congressman during the 2010 elections.

Fariñas was referring to lawyer Kristian Ablan, son of former Ilocos Norte representative Roque Ablan and current employee of the office of the Comelec chairman.

According to Fariñas, his children called his attention to a Facebook post of Kris Ablan, who described himself as attorney VI of the Comelec, which said some negative things about the congressman.

“He comes up with a post yesterday saying: ‘Kris Ablan, feeling sarcastic. So far my district representative is the first to jump ship to the PDP-Laban.’ So it will make it appear that the Comelec is involved in partisan political activities because he is an employee of Comelec, which is the constitutional body that is impartial and insulated from politics,” Fariñas said.

“He was my opponent in 2010 and he lost miserably, unfortunately and then he ran again as vice mayor of Laoag in 2013, he lost miserably and this elections, the sister ran as board member, she didn’t even make it among the five winners,” he added.

Fariñas said that Ablan went on to show a photo of him with Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II, as if to emphasize his point that he was a turncoat.