Headline
Solons react to Comelec chief Bautista’s resignation
MANILA— Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have mixed reactions on Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista’s decision to voluntarily resign from his post by yearend.
Kabayan Partylist Rep. Harry Roque, one of the solon-endorsers of the impeachment complaint against Bautista, said the poll chief should stand by his decision to protect the interests of the Comelec.
“I hope that he sticks to his word and pushes through with his resignation. I also pray that with his departure from Comelec, the Commission will be shielded from further controversy,” Roque said.
He urged his colleagues to overturn the House Committee on Justice’s report on the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against Bautista.
Roque said there is no assurance that Bautista would resign in December, and if the committee report is not overturned, then the one-year bar rule of impeachment applies.
House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chair Sherwin Tugna said that while he was surprised by Bautista’s planned resignation, he believes this was triggered by Bautista’s desire to protect his family from being embroiled in controversy.
“Being now removed from all the duties and responsibilities of being a Chairman of the Comelec, he will now have more time to spend with his children,” Tugna said.
Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said Bautista’s tiff with his wife, Patricia, and her allegations that he might have amassed nearly PHP1 billion in hidden wealth has kept him from effectively performing his job as Comelec chairman.
“We need a Comelec chairman who can put all of his heart and mind on the job, considering that the mid-term elections are less than 20 months away,” Campos said.
“He made a sensible decision. We simply cannot afford to have a deeply distracted Comelec chairman,” Campos added.
Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo described Bautista’s move as a “rare act of statesmanship that will serve the nation well.”
“His decision to leave the poll body may have been difficult given the circumstances, but prudence may have prevailed upon him to spare our election watchdog from any further controversy that can erode people’s faith and confidence,” Castelo said.
“Coming as it does after the House of Representatives threw out the impeachment complaint against him, his resignation is an admirable act,” Castelo added.
