Comelec upholds Guanzon’s comment on Poe DQ cases in SC

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has finally decided to uphold the supposed “unauthorized” comment filed by Commissioner Rowena Guanzon which has sparked a word war between her and Chairman Andres Bautista.

Commissioner Arthur Lim said that the full commission will issue a resolution “ratifying and confirming” Guanzon’s comment on the First Division ruling on the disqualification cases filed by former Senator Kit Tatad, University of the East College of Law dean Amado Valdez and De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras against Senator Grace Poe.

The resolution will be issued either on Tuesday, January 12 or Wednesday, January 13.

“We have thus far complied with the filing of comment in the disqualification cases now pending at the Supreme Court and the commission en banc will be ratifying and confirming the comment that has been filed in the cases of Tatad et al.,” Lim told reporters on Tuesday.

Guanzon filed the comment on January 5, two days before the January 7 deadline set by the high tribunal.

Bautista then asked Guanzon to explain under whose authority she filed the comment, saying that it was filed without the concurrence of the en banc. The commissioner lashed against Bautista, saying that she has the authority to file the comment.

In Tuesday’s press briefing, the en banc also declared that the poll body will move on from the infighting between the two Comelec officials.