Patricia Bautista undeterred despite dismissal of impeach rap vs. husband Andy

The estranged wife of Commission of Elections chairman Andres Bautista remains optimistic that her husband will be held accountable for the acts of which she is accusing him.

This, even as the House justice committee dismissed the impeachment complaint against Bautista for insufficiency in form.

"As I said before, we remain undeterred. This is just the beginning, and this is [just] a bump on the road. But as in all things, we remain committed," Patricia told reporters in an ambush interview on Wednesday at the House of Representatives.

Patricia attended the House panel hearing on the impeachment complaint against Bautista, where she was accompanied by her lawyer, Lorna Kapunan.

Patricia had accused her husband of possessing unexplained wealth amounting to nearly P1 billion.

Her allegations became a basis for the impeachment complaint filed by former Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, where they accused Bautista of betrayal of public trust for failing to properly disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

In the interview, Patricia admitted that she is disappointed, but said she had expected that the impeachment complaint would be dismissed.

"Obviously [I'm disappointed], but as Congressman [Harry Roque] said, it is something that is expected. Because again from my experience as Andy said he knows many different people in very high places. And this is proof of that," she said.

"So I'm not surprised. Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I deterred? Absolutely not," she added.

Patricia said they would still continue their fight against Bautista.

"I believe in the goodwill and the good sense of the Filipino people. We are not smart in what we are perceived to be I guess, in many ways," she said.

"This is just one of the things I think light can be brought to these documents, and to the situation, in many different fora. So we will avail of those other venues," she added.

For his part, Bautista said the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against him is a "significant step" towards clearing his name.

"This proves to be a significant step in clearing my name after the malicious accusations hurled against me. As I have always maintained, the allegations are fabricated and baseless," he said in a statement on Wednesday. — RSJ/KVD, GMA News