Palace on Andy Bautista’s resignation: ‘We wish him well’

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Malacañang respects the decision of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres “Andy” Bautista to resign from his post.

Bautista on Wednesday said he was resigning as Comelec chief by the end of 2017.

READ: Comelec chair Andres Bautista resigns

“We respect the decision of Chairman Andy Bautista. We wish him well,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a text message on Wednesday.

In a statement, Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said Bautista’s resignation was “an honorable exit.”

“The resignation is an honorable exit given the furor that erupted following the rupture of the marital bond,” Panelo said.

“That it came after the impeachment complaint has been dismissed by the House of Representatives stripped the resignation as an escape valve viz-a-viz the complaint filed against him,” he added.

READ: House panel affirms decision to junk impeach rap vs Andy Bautista

Bautista said his resignation was not an easy decision “but my family, especially my children, need me now more than ever.”

“In the end his decision was motivated by his desire to protect his children from the debilitating consequences arising from his family being in the vortex of an injurious public controversy,” Panelo said.

“He evidently acted in the best interest of his family as well as the institution he heads,” he added.

Bautista’s resignation came a month after his wife Patricia, claimed that he might have amassed nearly P1 billion in ill-gotten wealth.

The Comelec chief has repeatedly denied this claim. /idl