Press barred from key Comelec offices, session hall

The reported infighting among members of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has spared no one–not even the press.

Members of the media covering the Comelec beat were temporarily barred from proceeding to the 8th floor of Comelec’s Palacio del Gobernador building.

The press were told by security guards that a “memorandum” was issued today by the Office of the Chairman implementing the clampdown.

The offices of Comelec chairman Andres Bautista, six commissioners, the session hall, and the press office are located at the 8th floor of the said building.

In a text message sent to reporters, Bautista denied the issuance of said memorandum from his office.

“Not true,” he said.

Media men were later given clearance to proceed to the 8th floor after an hour of being held at the ground floor of the Palacio building.

The Comelec en banc will meet on Tuesday, January 12, to discuss the validity of the supposedly unauthorized comment filed by Commissioner Rowena Guanzon on the pleadings filed by Senator Grace Poe asking the high court to overturn the Comelec’s rulings to disqualify her in the polls in May.

 READ: Comelec in disarray over Poe DQ cases

The filing of the “unauthorized” comment last week sparked a word war between Guanzon and Bautista who asked the former to explain under whose authority did she file the comment in a memorandum.

READ: Guanzon dares Bautista to open Comelec records to public

Guanzon lashed out against Bautista, saying that she is not a subordinate of the chairman and that she has the authority to file the comment.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the full Comelec filed a second comment before the Supreme Court regarding Poe’s cases. The second comment, which was drafted by Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, was signed by all commissioners and Bautista–which was not the case in the comment filed by Guanzon. CDG

READ: Comelec chair Bautista biased for Poe — Guanzon