Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez. INQUIRER.net file photo / Ryan Leagogo
MANILA, Philippines — The newly appointed commissioners of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) may vote in the pending case filed against former senator and presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., spokesperson James Jimenez said Tuesday.
President Rodrigo Duterte has designated Saidamin Pangarungan as ad-interim chairman of Comelec, and George Erwin Garcia and Aimee Neri as commissioners.
In a press briefing, Jimenez was asked if the new officials could vote in the pending case against Marcos.
“That will be up to them because remember the ponente will take into consideration in writing the decision the discussion of the commissioners,” Jimenez responded.
“Ngayon, kung gusto nilang may say diyan or they say na wala naman ako diyan, pwede na ‘ko mag-no part, pwede ‘yun. Again, this will have to be discussed by the commission itself. Walang hard-and-fast rule for that,” he further explained.
(Now, if they want to have a decision on that or not, it is allowed. There is no hard-and-fast rule for that.)
The ponente is the commissioner responsible for writing the decision on the case.
The disqualification case filed by the Pudno Nga Ilocano in December last year remains pending in the Comelec’s Second Division.
The group pushed Marcos’ disqualification, citing his tax evasion conviction.
Earlier, the consolidated disqualification cases lodged by the Akbayan party-list group, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Commissioner Abubakar Mangelen, and martial law survivors through Bonifacio Ilagan were dismissed by the Comelec’s First Division.
Two petitions to cancel Marcos’ certificate of candidacy filed by anti-Marcos regime activists and a certain Tiburcio Marcos were also dismissed by the Second Division.
New Comelec officials
To note, Garcia was the lawyer who represented Marcos in his 2016 vice-presidential electoral protest against incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo.
Neri, meanwhile, was a former undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
On the other hand, the new Comelec chair Pangarungan served as National Commission on Muslim Filipinos chief and as Lanao del Sur governor.