THE seven-member Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has two vacancies, with the retirement of Commissioners Socorro Inting and Marlon Casquejo last February 3. Inting headed the Comelec’s First Division and Casquejo, the Second Division.
This leaves the en banc with five members — four commissioners and one chairman. While the poll body would be undermanned at the top, Chairman George Erwin Garcia gave the assurance that the en banc still has “more than enough members to decide on pending election cases and other operational nuances that needed the commission’s approval.”
With the May midterm elections fast approaching, President Marcos Jr. is now compelled to appoint replacements for the two retired commissioners.
‘Prompt and well-thought-out action is now awaited from the Palace.’
There are two suggestions on how Bongbong Marcos should go about in choosing his new appointees in the Comelec.
Chairman Garcia said that he prefers that somebody from the commission be appointed because of his or her familiarity with the commission’s processes, particularly during elections.
“It would be appropriate to appoint somebody coming from the inside simply because they are knowledgeable already on what we are doing, knowledgeable also of the people performing their duties and functions and, at the same time, knowledgeable of the issues the commission is facing right now. An outsider would need at least two years to familiarize with the operations of the commission,” he said.
Meanwhile, another election lawyer whose ideas are worth hearing is Romulo Macalintal. He said there is an urgent need to appoint commissioners nominated by opposition parties following the recent Supreme Court rulings against the Comelec.
Macalintal stressed the people must be fully informed of why and how many alleged abusive acts are committed by the Comelec in rendering decisions. The recent rulings of the High Tribunal, which countermanded those of the Comelec, contributed to the erosion of public confidence in the ability of the poll body to do its job properly.
Macalintal said, “… we cannot blame the stakeholders in the forthcoming May elections to feel wary, especially the candidates and the law profession, of the independence, integrity, and competence of the officials who will conduct the said elections.”
It may be recalled that the printing of ballots to be used in the May elections was stopped twice because the Supreme Court reversed the poll body’s decisions on nuisance candidates, citing grave abuse of discretion. This led to the reported loss of around P150 million in public funds which accounted for the millions of already printed ballots that cannot be used.
In pushing his argument, Macalintal noted d that President Marcos Sr. appointed then congressman Ramon Felipe commissioner as recommended by the opposition at that time, which Bongbong Marcos can follow. His father was not afraid to use an inclusive policy in his appointments to the poll body, to promote transparency and fair play.
Prompt and well-thought-out action is now awaited from the Palace.
