Commission on Election Chairman Andres Bautista demonstrates the function of a vote-counting machine (VCM), which will be used for the May 9 national and local elections, at a warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Thursday. The machines are currently undergoing Hardware Acceptance Test (HAT).(MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chief Andres Bautista said Tuesday that the poll body can successfully run the barangay elections even without the help of its three top commissioners.
This, after Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said that she and Commissioners Robert Lim and Luie Guia will not participate in the conduct of village polls scheduled for October.
Bautista said “Doon po sa tatlong pangalan, hindi po ako makapaniwala na si Commissioner Guia, sasabihan iyan dahil alam ko very professional iyan.”
“Pero kung ganyan talaga, wala naman pong problema. Kaya pa naming patakbuhin ang ating halalan.”
Guanzon announced yesterday that three of them would not participate in running the village elections so they could focus on the many cases pending in their division.
Before this, Bautista’s fellow Comelec commissioners issued a joint memorandum accusing him of “failure of leadership” over various issues, including the delayed release of honoraria for election workers and a mall company’s alleged demand for damages after the cancellation of mall voting.
Guanzon and Guia also questioned over the weekend Bautista’s trip to Japan last Thursday when he allegedly left without designating an acting chair.
Bautista stressed that he has issued a travel alert and that he has referred to existing memos stating that the senior commissioner was acting chair in his absence.
He also reiterated Tuesday that the success of the recently concluded national elections is contrary to claims of his alleged failed leadership.
“Medyo natatawa nga po ako dahil ang sinasabi ng marami ay iyung nangyaring halalan noong Mayo 2016 ang pinakamatagumpay, pinakamahusay, pinakamapayapang halalan sa kasaysayan ng ating bansa. Paano naman iyan magiging bunga ng failure of leadership?” he said.
“Kapag sinasabi kong leadership iyan po ay ang buong komisyon na nagtutulong-tulungan para magkaroon ng isang credible elections.”(MNS)