House members welcome Bautista's appointment as Comelec chair

Lawmakers on Monday welcomed the appointment of Presidential Commission on Good Government chairman Andres Bautista as the new Commission on Elections chief, saying he has shown integrity and competence throughout his career.

 

House Justice Committee chair Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. said President Benigno Aquino III made the right decision in appointing Bautista to head the Comelec, especially as the country is in the crucial period of preparing for the 2016 national elections.

 

“Bautista, a man of intelligence and integrity has done a decent effort as PCGG chair despite the limited powers of the office,” he said.

The PCGG has turned over to the government around P168 billion in ill-gotten assets recovered from the family of ousted dictator President Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies since being created in 1986.

 

His sentiment was also shared by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, who described Aquino’s appointment of Bautista as “brilliant” because of his sterling career record. 

 

“[Bautista] is a highly accomplished professional who has performed very well in the private and public sector. He is very honest and capable and has no political leanings,” he said. 

 

Prior to his appointment to the PCGG, Bautista was the chief executive officer of Kuok Group Philippines and dean of Far Eastern University’s Institute of Law.

 

He co-founded the Master of Business Administration-Juris Doctor dual degree program of De La Salle Graduate School of Business and FEU. He was also the valedictorian of the Ateneo Law School class of 1990 and a bar topnotcher.

 

'No repeat of mistakes'

 

For his part, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe said he is hopeful the poll body, under Bautista’s leadership, will not repeat the mistakes committed by retired Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. 

 

Earlier this year, Brillantes signed a P268-million deal with Smartmatic for the repair and diagnostics of some 82,000 voting machines. The deal was nullified by the Supreme Court last April.

 

The legal setback has prompted some lawmakers to appeal to the Comelec to consider holding the 2016 elections via partial automation.

 

“I hope they (commissioners) do not repeat the mistakes of the Brillantes Comelec. But then, there’s no doubt the new commissioners are all qualified based on their background,” he said.

 

Aside from Bautista, Aquino appointed Rowena Guanzon, former mayor of Cadiz City in Negros Occidental, and Sheriff Abas, as new Comelec commissioners to fill out the vacancies left by retired poll commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph.

 

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said he expects the new commissioners to not be beholden to the administration or to any political party and instead be committed to pursuing electoral reforms.

 

“We ask the new members of the Comelec to ensure the 2016 elections will not be postponed, and that the canvassing will still be automated even if the precinct vote is manual,” he said. — JDS, GMA News