Palace denies row over choice of poll body chair

Thursday, January 13, 2011

MANILA -- Malacañang dismissed on Thursday the alleged internal spat arising from President Benigno Aquino III's impending selection of a new chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said no one endorsed election lawyers Romulo Macalintal and Sixto Brillantes for the top election agency post.

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Aquino's spokesman reacted to the notion of administration ally Senator Sergio Osmeña III that the contending Malacañang factions, Balay and Samar Groups, have been fielding different candidates for the post.

Osmeña said the Balay group was backing Macalintal, while the Samar group was pushing for Brillantes.

"They were asked to meet the President because he obviously wanted an expert in the Comelec. There is no faction here," said Lacierda, while expressing doubts on the statement of Osmeña.

Lacierda said President Aquino considered Macalintal and Brillantes because they have worked with him before.

Macalintal served as a lawyer for Aquino when he ran for Congress in 1995. He also served as election lawyer to former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Brillantes, meanwhile, was Aquino's lawyer in the May 2010 House canvassing of votes for president and vice president.

Although the two lawyers were the first to be interviewed, Lacierda said they are not the frontrunners for the Comelec post.

"I wouldn't say that. They were interviewed based on their availability," he said, adding that the President is still in the process of choosing the appropriate person for the job.

Aquino earlier confirmed that he separately interviewed the two, as well as Truth Commission member Carlos Medina.

He added that he also talked to poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting for its endorsement.

Aquino, meanwhile, denied that he has interviewed retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing and Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura for the post.

Macalintal nomination opposed

Meanwhile, election watchdogs, women's groups and a lawmaker protested Macalintal's possible appointment.

The National Movement for Free Elections, Kontra Daya, Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines, and a representative from Bayan Muna party-list group pointed out that Macalintal will not enhance the credibility of the poll body.

This as he erstwhile served as a counsel of the former President.

The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) earlier recommended Medina and corporate lawyer Antonio Pastelero for the chairmanship post.

Namfrel spokesperson Eric Alvia noted that Macalintal is still handling election cases that are pending in the poll body.

For its part, Kontra Daya said Macalintal's nomination is allegedly being pushed by a faction within the Aquino administration identified with the Liberal Party.

Kontra Daya convenor Father Joe Dizon said the nomination of a former election lawyer of the former President does not speak well on the administration's vow to go after corrupt officials.

"While many recognize Macalintal as a competent election lawyer, he was at the forefront of the defense of Arroyo during the election fraud controversy," he pointed out.

"How can the current administration investigate the truth and find closure in the issue of election fraud when it plans to appoint Macalintal, who has consistently denied the existence of fraud during the 2004 polls?" asked Dizon.

Kontra Daya was formed during the 2007 elections and was also an active monitoring group during the 2010 automated polls.

It said the next Comelec chair will face the serious challenge of cleaning up the poll body from corrupt officials, making an honest assessment, and initiating huge improvements in automated elections.

It also pushed to clean up the party-list system of bogus groups.

For his part, Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares stressed that the appointment of Macalintal will not enhance the credibility of the poll body as he supported Arroyo's anti-people policies and anomalies.

Elizabeth Angsioco, national chair of Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP), a national federation of almost 300 community women's groups, said Macalintal is not as open-minded as the position demands.

Angsioco recalled that Macalintal, together with Prolife Philippines, harassed and shouted at reproductive health advocates, virtually calling them Satan, outside the Manila Cathedral last November.

"Macalintal's intolerance and arrogance were caught on video. He was also seen trying to grab one of the cameras. Thus, the prospect of having someone like him calling the shots in Comelec is quite alarming," she added.

Teddy Casino, also of the Bayan Muna party-list, proposed that the nominees should answer the questions on various issues hounding the poll body to ensure a transparent selection process.

He added that preferably there should be a checklist or point system and interviews are held open to the public. There should be an exchange among the political parties and other stakeholders regarding their plans for the Comelec.

The search for the next poll chief came after Comelec Chairman Jose Melo filed his resignation last November, citing his intention to leave the post this January 31.

Melo's successor will complete his seven-year term, which will expire on 2015. (Jill Beltran/Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)