Senator Panfilo Lacson and COMELEC chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Panfilo Lacson called Commission on Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. “arrogant” for saying that the Senate has no business in the decisions being taken by the poll body.
Brillantes and all election commissioners were a no-show at Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation on pending bills on partylist system and anti-political dynasty.
“I was suggesting to Senator Koko to issue a subpoena para ma compel naman (to compel Brillantes to attend the hearing). Kasi alam mo (Because you know) I think it was arrogant of him to tell the media na yung Senado walang pakialam sa kanilang mga desisyon tungkol sa partylist (that the Senate has no business in their decisions on partylist accreditation),” Lacson told reporters after the hearing.
Senator Koko is Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, chairman of the committee.
“Hindi naman pinakikialaman yung mga decision na ginagawa nila. Mga policy questions lang ang gusto naming tanungin (We will not question their decisions. We just want to ask policy questions),” he said.
But Pimentel, in a separate interview, said there was no need to subpoena the Comelec chairman and commissioners but expressed hopes that they would attend the committee’s next hearing probably in November.
“No way. We will not subpoena the Comelec. We’re co-equal. They are not even forced to answer my questions,” he said.
“Pero in the free exchange of ideas, we are all government employees, we are all public servants, we have the duty to explain to the people the basis of our actions so ganun lang. In that nature. It’s not a probe of Comelec,” Pimentel added.
Brillantes’ absence in the hearing due to an en banc session in the Comelec, the senator said, was acceptable.