Davide denies recommending Macarambon, says Monsod

Ambassador Hilario Davide Jr. has denied recommending former Iligan judge Moslemen Macarambon to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), former poll chief Christian Monsod claimed yesterday.

In a text message to The STAR from New York, Monsod said Davide has denied that Macarambon was among those he recommended to the President in his report last year.

“He did mention the names of those who were applying or were recommended by others and that ... included the name of Judge Macarambon,” Monsod said.

Malacañang earlier claimed Macarambon was recommended by Davide, who is now the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations.

Davide was a former Comelec chairman and Supreme Court chief justice. He reportedly made the recommendation when he was still Presidential Adviser on Electoral Reform.

The appointment drew criticisms, as Macarambon was not included in the list of nominees submitted last week by Malacañang to the Comelec for comment.

Asked to comment on Macarambon’s appointment, Monsod declined, saying that he does not know “whether or not he is deserving.”

“But Malacañang should be forthright about who recommended (Macarambon) to avoid speculations, and in fairness to him as well,” Monsod said.

He added “a more transparent and public process would help rebuild the credibility of the Comelec especially for the next three appointees, including the next chairman, by February next year.”

This developed as various sectors reiterated their dismay over the perceived lack of transparency in appointing Macarambon to the Comelec.

“While public discussions were going on about Malacañang’s list of nominees, it announced the appointment of Judge Macarambon. He was not in the list and Malacañang never said that he was being considered,” claimed Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) executive director Vince Lazatin.

Lazatin clarified that TAN, an umbrella organization of 25 civil society groups, is “not harping on Macarambon as an individual” but on the manner of his appointment.

He added that TAN is hoping that the Commission on Appointments (CA) would thoroughly scrutinize Macarambon and other appointees to determine if they deserve their positions.

Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson had vowed to block the confirmation of Macarambon at the CA, saying he received reports that Macarambon is a protégé of former commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, who figured prominently in alleged election fraud in 2004.

Macarambon received his new appointment last Thursday. He replaces Mehol Sadain as Muslim representative to the highest electoral body.

The Iligan judge denied being picked from nowhere, saying he applied with Malacañang for the position in July 2006.

Macarambon dared his critics to check out his record with the Supreme Court.

Macarambon denied being a protégé of Garcillano, claiming that he only met the former poll commissioner during a reunion of UE Law alumni at the Manila Hotel many years ago.

Macarambon who?

Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. called on President Arroyo to show sincerity in filling up vacancies at the Comelec with people with indisputable character.

“If (the President) insists on appointing (people) with backgrounds that are doubtful, then I don’t think she is serious in cleansing the Comelec,” Villar said.

“We need individuals who are known for their impartiality and credibility,” he said.

Villar said moves to include Macarambon and opposition personalities on the list of nominees were made to appease critics.

The debate on the appointment of Macarambon has gone on-line with his son and namesake posting over the Internet the background of the former Iligan judge.

In his personal blogsite, the younger Macarambon has posted family photos, including the records of his father’s academic achievements from grade school to college where he graduated with honors at the Manuel L. Quezon University.

The web site www.moslemenjr.macarambon.com also posted the work experience of the newly appointed Comelec commissioner, his academic awards, and extra-curricular activities.

The web site elicited positive responses from bloggers supporting the appointment of Macarambon.

But while the younger Macarambon is updating the web site, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) began to post a Supreme Court ruling concerning a civil case decided by Macarambon.

The case was elevated before the SC, pointing out that Macarambon had presided over the case in which his son was one of the plaintiffs.

The PCIJ also posted the transcripts of the supposed conversations between Garcillano and President Arroyo in the controversial “Hello, Garci” wiretap recordings.

In one conversation, Garcillano was talking with a certain “Boy” whom PCIJ said was believed to be either “Renault ‘Boy’ Macarambon or Renato “Boy” Magbutay. “Renault” is now the head of the Comelec’s Election and Barangay Affairs Division while Magbutay is a regional director.

It was not clear, however, if Renault, a lawyer, is related to the new commissioner. But a Comelec insider who declined to be named claimed that “Renault” used to be detailed at the office of Garcillano when he was still with the poll body.

Local officials and Muslim leaders in Lanao del Sur yesterday called on critics to investigate allegations that Macarambon had links with Garcillano.

Ranking Maranaw officials in both the executive and legislative branches of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) claimed there are three Macarambon clans in Lanao del Sur, each having more than a thousand members, many of them employed professionals.

Lawyer Paisalin Tago, of the ARMM’s 24-seat Regional Assembly, said there are Macarambons in the towns of Saguiaran and Marantao, which are under the first district of Lanao del Sur, and another Macarambon family in the municipality of Balindong in the same province.

“Since Judge (Moslemen) Macarambon has been made Comelec commissioner, all we can wish, for now, is for him to start his avowed mission of introducing electoral reforms right in his province of Lanao del Sur, which is so prone to election anomalies,” Tago said.

Tago added Macarambon is neither related to former Lanao Sur congressman Benasing Macarambon Jr. nor to Renault Macarambon.

Two highly placed sources, one from the ARMM police and the other from the region’s Department of the Interior and Local Government, said it is common knowledge among Maranaw families in Lanao del Sur that Macarambon has a “relative” named Sonny, a very close friend of Garcillano.

“It’s Sonny who is very close to Attorney Garcillano, not Judge Macarambon,” said one of the sources, who is related both by affinity and by blood to the newly appointed Comelec commissioner.

“It doesn’t follow that if Sonny is a friend of Garcillano, Judge Macarambon is also a protégé of Garcillano,” the other source said, adding that the Sonny being alluded to as Garcilano’s friend is not Macarambon’s son, Sonny Ambrosi.

Further support

Malacañang further justified the appointment of Macarambon by pointing out the swelling support for the Iligan judge.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye cited the statement of Court of Appeals (CA) Justice Hakim Abdulwahid hailing the appointment of Macarambon as the replacement of retired Comelec commissioner Mehol Sadain.

Abdulwahid said Macarambon’s appointment to the Comelec is “a clear manifestation of Her Excellency’s policy of giving the opportunity to qualified Muslims to serve in the National Government.”

Abdulwahid pointed out Macarambon’s “impressive academic background and extensive experience as trial judge for many years amply qualify him for promotion to the desired post.”

Bunye also cited the statement from Shariff Kabunsuan gubernatorial candidate Datu Tucao  Mastura, thanking Mrs. Arroyo for the appointment of another Muslim to the poll body.

Last Friday, Bunye appealed to critics to “refrain in the interest of fair play, from shooting first and asking questions later” in the appointment of Macarambon.

“His record as a former law practitioner, law professor and trial judge speaks for itself,” Bunye said.

Bunye said the President’s choice of Macarambon is also in line with the government’s commitment to honor the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front to appoint qualified Muslims to government positions. – With Aurea Calica, John Unson, Perseus Echeminada and Marvin Sy