LTFRB exec, lawyer named to Comelec

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has named lawyers Louie Tito Guia and Al Parreño as commissioners of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after election lawyer Bernadette Sardillo and former ambassador and Lanao del Norte representative Macabangkit Lanto declined their appointments.

Guia and Parreño filled the positions vacated by Armand Velasco and Rene Sarmiento, respectively.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Guia was the acting director of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) and had also been an international election consultant to countries such as Papua New Guinea and Kenya, among others.

Parreño, on the other hand, is presently serving as a board member of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

“The President is confident that in assuming their new positions as commissioners, they will demonstrate integrity, probity, and independence in the conduct of their duties and further strengthen Comelec in fulfilling its constitutional mandate to ensure free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible elections,” Lacierda said.

When they were appointed last March, Sardillo chose to stay in private practice while Lanto declined his appointment following criticism of his alleged involvement in poll fraud in 1994.

Lacierda said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya was finalizing the list of those who could possibly replace Parreño.

Parreño’s appointment to the Comelec will leave Ronnie Corpuz as the only one remaining of the LFTRB’s three-member board.

“They will assume their post after they take their oaths of office,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said Parreño’s role as private prosecutor in the impeachment trial of former Supreme Court chief justice Renato had nothing to do with his appointment.

“He is currently a board member of LTFRB and according to Secretary Jun Abaya, he has proven his competence there. More than his role as a private prosecutor, his previous work experience as a project manager of several IT (information technology) projects was a factor in his selection as a Comelec commissioner. His contribution to Comelec will primarily be in IT,” Lacierda said.

As for Guia, Lacierda said his experience as an election lawyer and election consultant in several countries and as director of LENTE, a civil society group dedicated to honest elections, was given consideration.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes welcomed the appointments of Parreño and Guia.

“I’m happy in the sense that they are both lawyers. Lui Guia is practically an insider because he is very active in Comelec activities. I don’t know Al Parreño personally but I heard that he is a very young lawyer,” he said.

Brillantes said he is studying which assignments should be given to the new commissioners.

“I asked the other commissioners if there are loads that can be given to the two new commissioners... (perhaps) next week, if they assume on Monday, they will join us in hearing the party-list (cases),” he said.

Parreño could not be reached for comment on his appointment while Guia welcomed his new position in an interview at ANC.

“I welcome it. It’s a challenge for me. You know how it is in Comelec. Lots of works especially now that we’re at the tail end of preparing for election... It’s an honor to be working for Comelec. I actually started my career as a lawyer with Comelec about 20 years ago,” Guia said. – Sheila Crisostomo, Reinir Padua