Poll chief Bautista acquired P1B during gov't stint, wife's lawyers say

Commissions on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista net worth grew by P1 billion from his stint in Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) up to now, his estranged wife's lawyers said Monday.

"The Comelec Chairman was in government service starting 2010 as chairman of PCGG, then at 2015 he was appointed Comelec chairman. Based on the documents we found, the dates would show that these wealth were acquired during his time in PCGG or in Comelec," lawyer Jam Aniag said in an interview on News To Go.

Lawyer Robert Beltejar added that their client, Patricia Paz Bautista, Bautista's wife, qualified these as ill-gotten wealth as Bautista allegedly did not declare them in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

"Ill-gotten wealth in the sense that 'yung SALN is available to the public, anyone can see it. And in his SALN, the maximum amount of his net worth there is around P176 million," Beltejar said.

"Nung nakita namin 'yung mga passbook pati 'yung ibang dokumento, pagsinuma mo lahat ng mga amounts and real properties, and all the other properties, it's almost about P1 billion. There is no explanation for it, even if you look through his SALN," he added.

Aniag said they found the amount questionable as Bautista seems to have no "economic justification" for it. "If there is any economic justification for this amount, then there would have been no reason for you not to declare it in your SALN."

According to Bautista's SALN, only holdings company XMA was listed under his owned businesses.

The chairman was advised to bring his allegation that the documents obtained by his wife were altered "in the proper forum," but both lawyers remained firm that the documents were authentic.

"In the proper forum, he can respond to it, but as far as our client is concerned, that's what she saw during the time she saw these documents, nothing was altered," Beltejar said.

Beltejar and Aniag added that the documents were not brought up to extort money from Bautista as his wife already filed a separate complaint against him for financial support last month.

"As far as this expose that she made, for now, she just wanted these documents, information to be out and whatever on the government side, I think the affidavit was already submitted with the NBI. Then we will see from there what will unfold," Aniag said.

Mrs. Bautista filed charges of "emotional and economic sabotage" with the Taguig City Prosecutor's Office with their Violence Against Women and Children desk.

She and Bautista have been trying to settle their separation since 2013, but reached a stalemate in their negotiations when she found these documents in November 2016 .

"He cut off the financial support to the wife and to the children. This prompted Mrs. Bautista to file a case of violence against women and children para humingi ng protection order at also support from Chairman Bautista," Aniag said.

The couple have separate units in the same condominium and co-parent their young children, to whom Mrs. Bautista wants a majority of her settlement with her husband to go.

"We have read the terms of the settlement and majority of the amount being asked by Mrs. Bautista is really for the children, it will be held in trust," Aniag said. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News