Newly appointed Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Andres Bautista (left) and commissioner Rowena Guanzon face the media at the COMELEC office in Intramuros, Manila on Monday. Bautista was the chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) prior to his new assignment. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday clarified that appointed government officials need not resign from their posts to be able to run in the 2016 elections.
“Ang rule, kapag nag-file ng COC (certificate of candidacy) ang isang appointed official, ipso facto deemed resigned ka na,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez explained.
“The mere fact that you filed a certificate of candidacy operates as a resignation from your appointive position,” he said.
The rule is different for elected officials, however. They are not deemed resigned even when they file their COC.
Jimenez cited as examples senators who still maintained their position even after losing the elections.
Calls have been mounting for Cabinet officials planning to run in next year’s polls to resign after Vice President Jejomar Binay left the Aquino Cabinet.
They have also been urged to quit so they will not be accused of exploiting government resources.
Among the Cabinet secretaries and government officials expected to run next year are Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva.
Malacañang, for its part, stressed that Cabinet secretaries and all other government officials are expected to abide by the norms of good governance and ethical conduct.
“This implies adherence to the election code and other related laws and conducting themselves in such a way that their actions will not be perceived as being tantamount to engaging in partisan political activity,” Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said.
“For the record, no member of the Cabinet has formally declared the intention to be a candidate in the 2016 elections. Those that may be inclined to do so would be well advised to conduct themselves in a manner that would not be misconstrued as ‘politicking’ by our bosses, the Filipino people,” he added. (MNS)