Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday said that he would be attending the next Senate hearing on policy decisions involving party-list disqualifications, saying that he would cooperate with the Senate especially in discussions involving amendments to the party-list law.
Brillantes, in a press conference, said that he had not yet been able to personally talk with Senator Panfilo Lacson but that they had exchanged text messages.
“I sent him a text message, he replied and we were able to clear the air,” Brillantes said.
Brillantes admitted that he apologized to Lacson, saying that he had high respects for the senator. The poll chief told Lacson that his non-appearance in the Senate hearing should not be interpreted as an “arrogant” act.
Lacson on Tuesday called Brillantes “arrogant” after the latter failed to attend the Senate committee on electoral reforms’ hearing on party-list system and anti-political dynasty bills. Those who attended the hearing on behalf of Brillantes and the commissioners were lawyers Gwin Calibuyot, Shemidah Cadiz and Erwin Villarin.
He insisted that he had reasons for not appearing, and that he had notified Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, the chairman of the Senate committee on electoral reforms and suffrage, that he would not be able to attend.
“I don’t think Senator Lacson knew that I had already notified Chairman Koko Pimentel that I was not going there. I wanted to send one of the commissioners there but we’re undermanned,” Brillantes said.
He reiterated that he, along with Commissioners Grace Padaca, Armando Velasco and Christian Robert Lim, held their regular en banc meeting on Tuesday to discuss important matters.
Commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Lucenito Tagle were scheduled Tuesday to attend a contract signing on voters’ registration and education at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City while Commissioner Elias Yusoph was on a personal trip to Saudi Arabia.
Brillantes said that in his text messages, Lacson insisted that poll commissioners should still appear to discuss policy matters regarding the issue and that the Senate was not questioning their collegial decision to disqualify or not.
“I said we will appear. I am going to attend the November 8 hearing and we’re going to attend probably together with all the commissioners,” Brillantes said.
” I’m definitely attending not to confront the senators but we want to agree on some things, on some amendments in the party-list law,” he said.
“But if we’re going to discuss there amendments to the party-list law then we will be most cooperative because that’s what we want,” he added.
Brillantes noted that in the absence of any enabling law, the Comelec had the task to interpret which party-list groups represented the marginalized sectors.
He said this was one of the primary reasons they were urging the Supreme Court to act and decide on their decisions.