Lawmaker wants Brillantes’ head examined

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A partylist lawmaker on Wednesday said he has filed a resolution questioning Commission on Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes’ mental fitness.

Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad) Representative Pastor Alcover Jr. said that he filed on Tuesday House Resolution 2883 urging the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms to look into Brillantes’ mental health.

Anad was earlier disqualified by the Comelec which deemed the partylist group unfit to represent a marginalized sector.

Alcover said that Comelec’s reason for disqualifying them was their alleged failure to file Anad’s statements of contributions and expenditures for 2007. He argued that they “dug up our records (and found out that) we did file it and it was received by Comelec.”

Alcover also balked at Comelec’s reason that Anad did not represent a marginalized sector, pointing out that their constituents were farmers and former rebels who have become farmers.

“I think Comelec has a problem,” he said, urging the Commission on Appointments to release the results of Brillantes’ psychiatric test.

“We don’t care if the poll chairman would get mad at us. We agree on his idea of cleansing the partylist system but it should be done with due process,” said the lawmaker.

He further accused Brillantes of favoring communists, saying “if he would disqualify all communist-leaning groups we will also drop out of the race.”

But asked whether he would also be willing to take a psychological test with the Comelec chairman, Alcover said “I’m the complainant, should I be challenged too? Something is wrong with his mind!”