Gordon hesitant to conduct blue ribbon probe on Comelec chief Bautista

The Senate should keep its hands off on the allegations against Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista, blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon said Tuesday, amid calls for a legislative probe into his estranged wife's accusation that he amassed P1B in unexplained wealth while in government.

In a radio interview, Gordon pointed out that senators are mandated to act as judges if and when Bautista is impeached at the House of Representatives. No impeachment complaint has yet been filed against the Comelec chairman.

“Pag-usapan namin nang maigi yan. This guy si Bautista, is a Comelec chairman, constitutional official yan. At kung iimbestigahin ko yan at may mag-i-impeach, mag do-doble yan. Magdodoble ang imbestigasyon, we will be judging, di ba?” Gordon said.

“Kung sakaling may mag-file ng impeachment diyan, pag umabot sa amin, kami ang mga huwes. So ang mag-iimbestiga dapat diyan ay Lower House, kung i-impeach,” he said.

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III filed a resolution on Monday calling for a blue ribbon committee probe on the allegations of Bautista’s wife that the poll chief has amassed P1 billion in ill-gotten wealth. The resolution has yet to be filed with the said committee.

Minority Leader Franklin Drilon opposed the proposal to investigate Bautista, saying the Senate should first settle the issue of jurisdiction.

Responding to Drilon, Sotto said: “Kapag ayaw, may dahilan. Bakit yung EJK (extrajudicial killing) bintang nila kay President may investigation? Impeachable din yun ah.”

“Huwag nating pag-isipan na hindi tama mag-hearing tungkol sa mga alegasyon sa Comelec chair at baka isipin ng ibang tao na ayaw natin mabuksan na posibleng may dayaan noong 2016 elections,” Sotto added.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, for his part, said the Senate clearly has the jurisdiction to conduct a probe.

“Because, what if, after [the] investigation by the Senate, he is able to prove that he did no wrongdoing or what if no impeachment case is filed?” Escudero said.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has already ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe into Bautista’s alleged unexplained wealth. — RSJ/KVD, GMA News