Impeachment Complaint Filed Against Comelec Chairman Andy Bautista
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Juan Andres
Bautista was slapped with an impeachment complaint at the House of
Representatives on Wednesday, August 23, roughly two weeks after his wife
revealed his alleged “ill-gotten” wealth.
The impeachment complaint was filed by Volunteers Against
Crime and Corruption (VACC) General Counsel Ferdinand Topacio and former Negros
Oriental representative Jacinto Paras.
The two are represented by lawyer Manuelito Luna.
It was endorsed by Deputy Speaker and Cebu Representative
Gwendolyn Garcia, Kabayan Partylist Representative Harry Roque, and Cavite
Representative Abraham Tolentino.
According to the complaint, Bautista culpably violated the
Constitution and/or betrayed the public trust when he committed the following:
* Failing to
truthfully, accurately, or completely disclose to the public his statement of
assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) as required under section 17, Article
XI of the 1987 Constitution.
* Neglecting his
duties and responsibilities as head of agency, particularly in collecting and
further processing of personal data, which led to unnecessary exposure of
personal and sensitive information of millions of Filipinos.
In an ambush interview after the filing, Roque said they
decided to endorse the complaint, as it satisfied the “personal knowledge”
standard he was looking for.
“Nandito po naka-append yung affidavit ni Tish (Patricia)
Bautista, and she of course has personal knowledge dun sa mga nasiwalat nya sa
kanyang tahanan,” Roque said.
According to Roque, Patricia’s lawyers assured them that she
will testify once summoned by the impeachment court.
“I would have not endorsed it without the assurance from
Mrs. Bautista that on the hearing she will appear and attest to the
truthfulness of her affidavit, and bring all her documentary evidence that we
mentioned in her complaint,” Roque said.
Garcia, for her part, said that the suspicion surrounding
the “accumulated” wealth of Bautista pushed her to endorse the complaint.
“Ang dami-dami ng haka-haka at tanong ng taong bayan after
the revelation of Patricia Bautista as regards the parang malaking accumulated wealth
as evidenced by the passbooks na pinakita,” she said.
Tolentino said the complaint will also give Bautista the “opportunity
to refute [the allegations and] clear his name.”
Roque said he wants his colleagues to thoroughly review the
merits of the complaint, especially since the integrity of Comelec is at stake.
“Kami ang pakiusap namin, pag-aralan sana yung complaint
nang mabuti at isipin din na nakasalalay sa issue na ito ang integridad ng
Comelec bilang institusyon na nagpapatupad ng ating mga eleksyon,” Roque said.
According to Paras, the impeachment will serve as a warning
to incumbent and future Comelec officials to protect the integrity of the poll
body.
“Ang Comelec is a very very important agency of our
government. It determines our democracy. Eh kung may bahid po yung nagpapatakbo,
yung resulta kaduda duda,” he said.
Source: SunStar Philippines
Impeachment Complaint Filed Against Comelec Chairman Andy Bautista
Reviewed by Yen
on
August 25, 2017
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