The appointment of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon was recommended on Tuesday for confirmation by a panel of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).
No member of the CA’s committee on constitutional commission and offices, including opposition Senators Nancy Binay and Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, objected when Guanzon’s appointment was endorsed for confirmation. The committee recommendation will then be transmitted in the plenary for either adoption or rejection.
Binay and Ejercito both belong to the United Nationalist Alliance, whose interim president, Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, earlier claimed that Guanzon was appointed in the poll to ensure the victory of the LP’s standard-bearer in 2016.
But Tiangco’s claim was never raised during the confirmation hearing.
Binay though asked Guanzon about her party affiliation when the latter mentioned that she once ran in public office in 1992.
“Under what party?” Senator Binay asked.
“Nationalist Peoples Coalition po. I ran against a Liberal Party candidate…” Guanzon said, adding that she lost her bid and never ran for public office again.
“After 1992, wala na ho kayong party affiliation with NPC or any other party?” Binay asked again, to which the nominee answered in the negative.
Before this, Guanzon pointed out in her opening statement that her father’s name was Judge Sixto Rojas-Guanzon “with a J, not with an X…”
Her remarks drew laughters from the hearing room.
Turning serious, Guanzon repeatedly assured the committee that she would be an independent commissioner.
“If you will confirm me as commissioner of the Commission of Elections, you can be assured that I will be an independent commissioner,” she said.
“I can assure you that I will be independent. I will not be partial. In Tagalog po, dapat po sa Comelec, patas tayong lahat (In the vernacular, in the Comelec, we’re all equal),” she added.
READ: New Comelec commissioner not LP’s lapdog, says Drilon
(Originally published at 12:17 noon, June 9,2015)