Comelec Chair Brillantes: ‘Case against Gloria Arroyo not done in haste’

Speaking with reporters, Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. was quick to deny that the Comelec had railroaded the case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“It was not done in haste,” he said before leaving to attend a budget hearing in Congress.

Brillantes said the full Commission on Elections (Comelec) had been studying the joint panel’s resolution since Wednesday “after lunch” but had no time for deliberations on that day because it was then holding a summit.

It also could not meet for deliberations on Thursday because of the budget hearing ongoing in Congress, he said, adding: “[Friday] morning was our only chance to deliberate.”

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said he had carefully studied the joint panel’s resolution, over which the Comelec had the final say, for two days.

An Arroyo appointee, Sarmiento said his decision favoring the filing of charges against the former President was solely based on the evidence gathered by the fact-finding panel and affidavits submitted by witnesses.