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Who is Comelec's Sixto Brillantes Jr.?


The web is abuzz with news and comments about Sixto Brillantes Jr., the newly appointed head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The public is eager to know: who is Brillantes and why was he chosen to replace former Comelec chairman Jose Melo? Brillantes Jr. is a veteran election lawyer, a bar topnotcher, and a son of a former Comelec commissioner. The 71-year-old lawyer believes that public service would be the best way to cap his career. "I'm already retiring so why not try government service now?" said Brillantes, after he was sworn in Sunday as the poll body's new chairman. "I didn't ask for this [post], and it is something I can't resist," quipped Brillantes. From Erap to Ampatuan He is, without doubt, one of the most visible election lawyers these days. He started becoming an active practitioner on election laws in 1984, with clients from all over the country. Brillantes was the lead lawyer of deposed President Joseph Estrada. He also exposed the alleged cheating maneuvers of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to win the 2004 elections. Arroyo's rival, the actor Fernando Poe Jr., was a former client of Brillantes. He also served as defense counsel for Andal Ampatuan Sr., purported mastermind of the Maguindanao massacre. Among the cases he won at the Supreme Court was the disqualification case filed by Raul Lee against Juan Frivaldo, whom Brillantes represented, for the 1995 Sorsogon gubernatorial race. In 1990, Brillantes also won a case against Haydee Yorac, who was then designated as acting Comelec chief. The High Court ruled in favor of Brillantes and said Yorac's assumption of the post was unconstitutional. Cojuangco connection Brillantes — a son of former Ilocos Sur Governor and Comelec Commissioner Sixto Brillantes Sr. — obtained his bachelor's degree in law at San Beda College of Law and graduated class valedictorian. In 1965, he ranked 7th in the bar examinations. A year later, Brillantes began working as a legal researcher at the Court of Appeals. From 1978 to 1986, he served as legal counsel of the Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Group of Companies. Cojuangco ran during the 1992 presidential elections but lost. In 1986, he became the managing director at the Brillantes, Nachura, Navarro, Jumamil & Arcilla Law Offices and went on to become a senior partner in his law firm. Brillantes served as the general counsel of the political party Nationalist People's Coalition, which Cojuangco heads as chairman emeritus, from 2001 to 2006. Since 2006, he has been a legal consultant of the United Opposition, which was created by Vice President Jejomar Binay to unite all politicians against then-President Arroyo. Groundwork for 2016 polls In a radio interview on Monday, Brillantes said he has let go of all pending cases he was handling as an election lawyer. “Nag-withdraw na ako sa law office ko before I took my oath of office kaya hindi na ako myembro ng law firm na humahawak ng mga kaso," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. "Kung nasa Commission 'yan, di ako pwede bumoto at mag-i-inhibit na lang ako sa lahat na mga kasong yan," he added. Brillantes said his first priority is to ensure clean and honest elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in August this year. His next priority will be to lay the groundwork for clean automated elections in 2016, he added. Weighing in on criticisms that Brillantes might not be able to resist political pressure from his former clients, election activist Mon Casiple wrote in his blog: "As Comelec chair, he can decide to be either a hero or a villain–there’s no middle path unfortunately. "As electoral reform stakeholders or as simply Filipino voters, we should give him his chance. He has the qualifications, he has the qualities, he has the public pledge to do good–I think it’s too early to make judgments," Casiple said. – VVP/YA, GMANews.TV

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