IT expert Al Parreño hopes to help modernize PHL elections as new poll exec

Although an outsider in election circles, newly appointed Comelec commissioner Atty. Al Parreño is hoping his experience in the field of information technology will help him in modernizing the way elections are held in the Philippines.

Interviewed on Friday on GMA News TV's “News To Go,” Parreño said he could help with the “automation and the modernization of the Comelec,” which will conduct the second nationwide automated elections in the country next month.

An IT lawyer who served as legal counsel of ePLDT, Parreño served as member of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) before his appointment to the new position.

He will be bringing his work background in human rights, IT, and quasi-judicial functions to his new job, Parreño said.

"With information technology, [there's] the automation and modernization of the Comelec, and process development, I believe I can help with all these three experiences and credentials," he said.

Among the cases Parreño has handled are those involving electronic evidence, information technology, and cyberlaw. As a student, he co-authored a paper on electronic information which won best paper at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

He has served as project manager for electronic data discovery and managed review of SPi in Austin, Texas, director of the legal process outsourcing firm Integreon, and project manager of the business process outsourcing firm SPi Litigation Direct.

"(Parreño) established the legal processing center of both PLDT and Ayala. He deals with voluminous documents, electronic discovery and other information stored in paper or electronic documents," according to his LinkedIn profile.

Human rights experience

In the News to Go interview, Parreño said his human rights practice will give him an edge in protecting every citizen's right to fair and honest elections.

“As we know, elections is basically a function of the right of every citizen (and that) we have to protect the right to vote,” said Parreño.

A well-known human rights lawyer, Parreño has done a case study analyzing the state of extrajudicial killings in the country from 2001 to 2010, and recommended improvements in the judicial process.

He also served as one of the private prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona last year, but the lawyer denied accusations that his appointment stemmed from a debt of gratitude on the part of President Aquino, who was at odds with Corona.

“Napakarami naming abogado 'nun. And I doubt siguro natatandaan pa nila na ako ay isa 'dun,” Parreño said.

“'Yung iba lang hindi napangalananan – law students, mga researchers at mga batang abogado na nagsilbi noong panahong iyon,” he added.

Two new lawyers

Alongside him as new poll commissioner is Atty. Luie Guia, executive director of the Legal Network for Truthful Election (Lente).

They are replacing former commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Armando Velasco, who ended their terms last February.

Both Sarmiento and Parreño have experience in human rights law.

Meanwhile, Velasco and Guia are seen as Comelec insiders. Velasco used to be a regional elections officer, while Guia once served as executive assistant and consultant of commissioners Christian Monsod and Regalado Maambong, respectively.

Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. welcomed the appointment, saying the two new commissioners have the necessary experience to fulfill their functions.

“Okay itong dalawang abogado, si Luie is practically an insider. Matagal na namin kasama 'yan, so wala tayong problem," he said.

"Si Al Parreño hindi ko kilala, I just heard he is a very young lawyer. Okay lang kasi lawyer na pareho sila. Makatutulong sila sa quasi-judicial function,” Brillantes added.

Aquino earlier named former Justice Undersecretary Macabangkit Lanto and election lawyer Bernandette Sardillo as Comelec commissioners, but both turned down the position.

In separate letters to Aquino, Sardillo pointed out a family member's ill health as reasons for declining the position, while Lanto cited the controversies surrounding him when he was Lanao del Norte representative.

Lanto was unseated by the House Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) in 1992 after accusations of poll fraud surfaced. Lanto has denied the allegations, saying his enemies are behind the move. - Marc Jayson Cayabyab/VVP/YA, GMA News