Guanzon reminds Comelec staff: No rallies for poll chief during work hours

MANILA, Philippines —  Elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon on Sunday criticized Commission on Elections employees who held a rally to support embattled poll chief Juan Andres Bautista during office hours.

Guanzon said staging rally during office hours is prohibited by the  Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Official and Employees and the Civil Service Commission. She earlier took to Twitter to question the plans for the rally.

 “Sisigaw sila sa Comelec building during office hours? Mali iyon,” Guanzon said in a radio interview with dzBB.

On Friday, some 50 employees wore red to show support for Bautista, who faces corruption allegations and an impeachment complaint.

READ: Ex-solon, lawyer file impeachment complaint vs Comelec chief Bautista

Bautista was also asked by the six Comelec commissioners — Guanzon, Christian Robert Lim, Al Parreño, Luie Tito Guia, Arthur Lim, and Sheriff Abas — to take a leave or quit his post amid the controversies he is facing.

The employees then called on the six commissioners to resign and but for Bautista to stay on.

Guanzon said the employees were asked by Executive Director Jose Tolentino and issued a directive to wear red and show support for Bautista.

'Comelec office not a marketplace'

The commissioner understands the support for Bautista as some of them may lose jobs if the poll chief resigns but she lamented how the protests were done inside the office building during office hours.

“Pinapaalis na nga kami sa Palacio del Gobernador e, mahiya naman ho tayo…Ano ito palengke?,” she said, adding that it is Bautista who faces impeachment raps and not them.

“Magisip-isip nga kayo bago kaya sumama-sama diyan. If you love Chair Andy, let him go,” she added.

Asked if she will file a case against the employees who protested, Guanzon replied she will first ask them about the circumstance.

“Ay naku, saka na lang ho. Good vibes muna ako.. I’ll probably ask, they have rights to due process also,” Guanzon said.

“We should not violate our civil service’s laws,” she added.

The CSC Resolution 02-1316 or the law on Prohibited Mass Actions states that “government officials and employees are not allowed to go on concerted mass action during office hours.”

'Bautista can no longer handle Comelec, controversies at the same time'

During her radio interview Guanzon repeatedly called on Bautista's advisers to ask him to take a leave of absence until he decided whether or not he will resign as it is affecting the poll body and the upcoming barangay elections.

Guanzon asked Bautista to instead focus on his children.

“Dahil nga po hindi po niyang  kayang gampanan ang kanyang mga trabaho,” Guanzon said.

“Two times ko na siya sinabihan: ‘mag-leave ka na kung ‘di ka pa nakapagdecide kung magresign kasi di mo na kaya. Wala ka ng tulog, ‘di ka na kumakain.’ Talagang ‘di niya na kaya,” she added.

Guanzon cited that Bautista was not able to attend the first schedule on Comelec budget briefing and wasn’t able to sign the memorandum on agreement with the National Printing Office prompting postponement of the printing of ballots for the Barangay elections in October. She said 56 ballots are said to be printed and there is no more time for it.

The commissioner said if invited by the House of Representatives for the deliberation of Bautista’s impeachment raps, she is willing to cooperate she also said they are eyeing to have Lim as the officer in charge once Bautista decided to take on leave as the former has an experience in elections management.

Andres’s estranged wife in early August accused him of amassing undeclared wealth, which resulted in an impeachment complaint against him for his alleged misdeclaration of his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

RELATED: The story so far: Poll chief Andres Bautista and wife