Comelec Chair Andres Bautista and Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. FILE PHOTOS
All’s well that ends well.
That was the message of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc to Filipinos after they decided to settle their differences during the en banc meeting on Tuesday.
All seven members of the full commission appeared before the press—projecting a message of a united Comelec amid controversies, the latest of which is the verbal tussle between Chairman Andres Bautista and Commissioner Rowena Guanzon.
READ: Comelec infighting may weaken credibility of 2016 polls—solon
Speaking for the en banc, Commissioner Arthur Lim said the word war between Bautista and Guanzon are expected in a collegial body. He said they have decided to move on and “leave all controversies behind them.”
“In the past few days, you have been witness to certain issues or controversy that involved the commission, particularly our good chairman and good commissioner Guanzon. But that is to be expected in the light of any collegial body. The important thing is that we are able to address the issues and we have now decided to move forward and to leave all these controversies behind us. All is well that ends well,” Lim said.
“All the controversy in the past has been finally resolved and settled,” he added.
READ: Feuding Comelec execs forgo fireworks
The senior commissioner said the poll body will remain focused on holding a credible and honest elections in May.
“ We would like to give a firm assurance to our people that the Commission on Elections is firmly committed to the holding of clean, honest, peaceful, orderly and credible elections in 2016 and we shall not be sidetracked by any other issues aside from the 2016 elections and make it a successful exercise for our people,” Lim said.
The issue between Bautista and Guanzon was sparked after the latter filed a supposed “unauthorized” comment on the pleadings of Senator Grace Poe asking the Supreme Court to overturn the decisions of the Comelec’s First and Second Divisions to disqualify her from running in the presidential elections.
Bautista issued a memorandum asking the commissioner to explain “under whose authority the comment was filed.”
Guanzon fought back, saying that she has the authority to file the comment and that she is not a subordinate of the Comelec chair. She even accused Bautista of favoring Poe.
Lim said that the en banc will file a resolution ratifying the comment filed by Guanzon in the Supreme Court on Tuesday or Wednesday. TVJ
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