Leni camp: Not a good look for Imee to lead Senate probe into Eleksyon 2022

Senator Imee Marcos' leading the congressional probe into the alleged Smartmatic security breach is not a good look, considering that her brother is a presidential candidate in the May 9 polls, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo said Tuesday.

Smartmatic is the software provider for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Eleksyon 2022.

"Well, desisyon niya 'yan eh, di ba? Pero ako, nag-a-agree ako na obviously, hindi magandang look na tumatakbo 'yung isang kandidato na kamag-anak mo, in this case kapatid mo, tapos ikaw ang nangunguna sa isang imbestigasyon supposedly into the integrity noong election process kung saan ang isa sa magiging participant, possible beneficiary, possible complainant ay isang tao na dikit sa'yo," lawyer Ibarra Gutierrez said in a radio interview.

(That is up to her but I agree that it's not a good look for your relative, in this case your brother, to be a candidate and yet you are leading the probe supposedly into the integrity of the election process where the participant and possible beneficiary or complainant is close to you.)

Gutierrez made the remarks in connection with poll watchdog Kontra Daya's call that that Marcos quit her post as chairperson of Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms out of "delicadeza" and to avoid conflict of interest.

"So, ako tingin ko, tama lang na i-consider 'yung propriety noong ganoong klaseng close relationship dahil di ba, posibleng madami pang mangyari dito sa eleksyon na ito, posible maging issue itong integrity noong eleksyon system," Gutierrez added.

(The way I see it, we should consider the propriety of such close relationships because a lot can happen and the integrity of the polls can be an issue.)

GMA News Online has reached out to Senator Marcos for comment.

Kontra Daya's Danilo Arao also said that senators who are candidates in the May 9 elections, including presidential candidate Panfilo Lacson and vice presidential candidates Vicente Sotto III and Francis Pangilinan, should recuse themselves from the Senate probe.

Gutierrez then said that any candidate would want someone who is fair and honest in probing the alleged breach of Comelec servers.

"Of course, we would want that the leader of the investigation is someone who is clearly independent and is not close to any candidate, which we also demand from the Comelec, the arbiter of our elections," he said.

"Tingin ko, klaro naman dapat na sa mata ng taumbayan, sa mata ng mga lahat ng taong nag-o-observe ng eleksyon na ito, kailangan maging maingat tayo dahil ayaw nating ma-question 'yung impartiality o 'yung independence noong mga tao na sumusubaybay sa pangangasiwa noong eleksyon na ito," he added.

(It is clear to the public and the election observers that we should be vigilant because we don't want the impartiality and independence of people administering the elections to be put on question.) — BM, GMA News