Palace hands off on Comelec rift

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr and Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Malacañang has refused to comment on the widening rift involving Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista against the other six commissioners of the poll body.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said on Sunday that he will withhold comment as the Comelec is an independent constitutional body and that the issues involved are internal matters.

He said that it is better for the seven-member en banc to address the issues among themselves.

READ: Comelec exec to Bautista: We don’t have to be friends

“Mainam na lamang na hayaan na lang talakayin ng tagapangulo at commissioners ng Comelec dahil ayon sa batas, ang Comelec ay isang independent Constitutional body. Karamihan sa kanilang mga tinutukoy ay panloob na usapin ay hinggil sa kanilang ugnayan sa isa’t isa sa Comelec kaya mainam na sila na lamang ang magtalakayan hinggil dito,” Coloma said in a dzRB interview.

(It’s better that we let the chairman and commissioners of Comelec discuss among themselves because according to the law, Comelec is an independent constitutional body. Many of these things are internal matters about their relations with each other in Comelec, that’s why it’s better that they should be the ones to discuss this among themselves.)

In a strongly-worded memorandum dated June 3, six commissioners slammed Bautista for his supposed “failure of leadership.” Some of the “grave concerns” raised in the memo include the delayed release of honoraria for teachers who served as Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) in the May 9 polls and the “demand for damages” of a mall company for the cancelled mall voting project.

Bautista countered this by saying that the successful outcome of the elections is contrary to the allegations leveled against him.

The Comelec chairman is currently in Japan on a “privilege leave.” But this too became controversial as he took his leave without assigning an acting chair.

READ: Comelec chair Bautista flayed some more for leaving for Japan

The en banc is set to meet on Tuesday, June 28. JE/rga