Guanzon accusations create no ‘crisis’ in Comelec–Jimenez

Rowena Guanzon INQUIRER PHOTO

Newly retired poll commissioner Rowena Guanzon’s allegation of influence peddling in the yet unresolved disqualification cases against presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not plunge the Commission on Elections (Comelec) into a “crisis,” according to its spokesperson.

“The characterization of all of these as a crisis is something you would hear outside of Comelec [but] inside Comelec, people understand what’s going on,” James Jimenez said at a press briefing on Thursday, a day after Guanzon, Comelec Chair Sheriff Abas and Commissioner Anthony Kho Jr. retired.

“They understand what the demands on each commissioner are and what difficulties each commissioner would face when we talk about promulgating decisions,” Jimenez said.

He said the Comelec staff understood Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, who was assigned to write the Comelec’s First Division’s decision in the Marcos cases, when she explained that drafting the ruling was pushed back because several of her staff were stricken with or exposed to COVID-19.

‘No deadline’

“This is something very real for people in Comelec. We do feel the effect of COVID-19 and we see how work slows down,” Jimenez said.

“We see this all the time and we understand that there are delays that happen. We also understand that we do not throw the word ‘delay’ around … if there is no deadline to speak of,” he said.

Days before she retired, Guanzon accused Ferolino of deliberately delaying the draft decision to prevent her vote from being counted.

Guanzon voted to disqualify Marcos from the presidential race because his conviction on tax offenses amounted to “moral turpitude.”

She told the Inquirer that an “influential and powerful” senator was behind the “conspiracy” to defeat her vote by delaying the release of the resolution on the petition against Marcos Jr. until after her retirement.

Guanzon said she had informed Senate President Vicente Sotto III of the senator’s identity and she was willing to name him before the other senators in a hearing.

In a text message to the Inquirer, Sotto said calling such a hearing would depend on the chair of any committee that had an “interest in the subject or if someone files a complaint.”

Asked whether there was any senator who was interested in hearing Guanzon’s allegations, Sotto: “None that I know of.”

Following the retirement of the three members of the Comelec on the same day, the remaining four commissioners will hold their weekly en banc meeting next Wednesday with Commissioner Socorro Inting as acting chair, being the most senior member.

No reorganization of the Comelec’s two divisions has taken place so far, according to Jimenez.

The First Division still has Commissioner Marlon Casquejo and Ferolino as members while the Second Division still has Inting as presiding commissioner and Commissioner Rey Bulay as member.

Three vacancies

Having three vacancies in the commission “makes it a little difficult but it is not crippled,” Jimenez said, adding that the poll body had already put in place most of the preparations for the May 9 elections.

“Now we are at the stage where we are implementing these processes. A lot has gone from the level of policy to level of operations, that’s what we are doing now,” he said.

Jimenez, who is director for the education and information department, said he again handed in his courtesy resignation to the new Comelec leadership.

He said he won’t decline a reappointment as spokesperson.

“It is a matter of courtesy and it is what I’ve done since 2007 when I was designated spokesperson,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO

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