Senator accuses Comelec chief of bribery

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 2) Senate Minority Leader Alan Cayetano has accused Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes of trying to “bribe and blackmail” him in exchange for his confirmation in the powerful Commission on Appointments.

Cayetano, who has been opposing the appointment of the chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), claimed that Brillantes had sent emissaries to pressure him to sit down with him.

“I’m writing the CA [Commission on Appointments] this week asking them for a full investigation and for decisive action on the attempt to blackmail a member of the CA or myself by the chairman of the Comelec,” he said at a press conference.

Cayetano said five to seven congressmen, senators and election lawyers were allegedly used by Brillantes to blackmail him.

“Yung unang offer, bahala na daw siya sa kaso ng wife ko at huwag mag alala, ma confirm lang. Ang exact words ko, ay ipokrito ako kung sasabihin kung hindi important ang kaso ng wife ko but that’s not the issue here,” he said. This meant that Brillantes’ agency would rule in favor of his wife, Lani, whose mayorship of Taguig City is being disputed and so he (Cayetano) should not worry, for as long as he is confirmed by the CA. Cayetano said he would be a hypocrite to say that his wife’s case is not important, but stressed that this was not the issue involved here.

Senator Cayetano said the issue was his apprehension of another massive cheating in future elections with Brillantes at the helm of the Comelec.

Told about his reaction, Cayetano said Brillantes changed his strategy and claimed that he wanted his appointment to be his legacy because he was already old.

When he again turned down Brillantes’ request to sit down with him, Cayetano said the Comelec chief used the election protest action against his wife to pressure him.

“I don’t like being threatened and I think the Commission should seriously look into this,” said the senator. “And I appeal to the President to also have his own independent investigation because baka siya tuwid na daan pero yung mga nilalagay niya tulad ni chairman Brillantes ay gumagawa ng sariling balikong daan nang hindi niya nalalaman (he may be treading the straight path but the men he appoints to positions like Brillantes are building their own crooked path without his knowledge).”

The opposition leader also considered Brillates’ move as an act of bribery because if he gave in to the latter’s his request, he could get something in return.

“It’s a bribe in the sense that pag pumayag ako (if I give in), may ibibigay siya (he’ll return it with a favour). But it’s a blackmail in the sense that pag hindi ako pumayag, bibilisan nila yung kaso (if I block his appointment, he would fast-track the case against my wife),” he pointed out.