Wanted: A fair and impartial body

Kudos to Ms. Karen Davila of Headstart on ANC for playing her part on the nation’s latest “He said, she said” telenovela, featuring the emotional Mrs. Patricia “Tish” Bautista last Tuesday morning who earlier exposed the possible shenanigans of her husband, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andy Bautista and yesterday morning, Karen Davila had the equally emotional Comelec Chairman himself on HeadStart!

As expected Andy Bautista was in complete denial of the accusations hurled by his estranged wife. That he admits having his mother, sister and other siblings in a joint bank account is dubious to say the least. He filed a case of extortion, robbery and a host of other criminal cases against his wife. Robbery? If I recall, Andy Bautista was once upon a time dean of the Far Eastern University Institute of  Law … so he should know whether a husband can file charges of robbery against his own wife when he knows too well you cannot rob a conjugal property!

In HeadStart, the Comelec chairman categorically denied receiving any money from Smartmatic and the Divina Law Office, which his wife Tish presented a document to the contrary. But against documents and other evidences presented by the wife of Andy Bautista, his public denials are not enough. If there is anything we do know about Chairman Bautista, he is not stupid to admit anything on a TV interview because that would be called self-incriminating! 

Though he admits having bank accounts with the Luzon Development Bank (LDC) however he has not explained why he has 35 passbooks for this account that amounted to P329,220,962? We know that the Comelec Chairman declared a P176.3 million total net worth in his 2016 Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). On this issue alone, the denials of the Comelec Chairman are not enough to satisfy the curiosity of the people.

What is happening today is nothing but a media war in this marital spat between the Bautista spouses. The Comelec Chairman categorically stated that he did not want a media war on their marital spat… but since his wife appeared on HeadStart, he had to clear his name also on the same TV show. I would have had more respect for Chairman Bautista it he chose not to appear in HeadStart so as not to add fuel to this already volatile situation.

At this point, Andy Bautista has not explained where did he amass so much money? Was it because he was Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) or is it because he is the Chairman of the Comelec? The Comelec Chairman categorically stated, “We should be transparent all the time.”

Hmmm, talking about transparency, I had a lot of questions about the 2016 Presidential polls and I never got a single reply from the Comelec Chairman. Even James Jimenez, Comelec spokesman whom I interviewed on my TV show, before the 2013 elections would no longer reply to my queries after I questioned the role of Smartmatic using the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS)? I’m sorry Mr. Comelec Chairman; I don’t believe that the Comelec is transparent at all, not only under your watch, but also during the watch of your predecessors, Jose Melo and Sixto Brillantes.

Now that his head is on the proverbial block, Chairman Bautista said that he is willing to undergo a lifestyle check. Frankly speaking, before he even assumed the Office as chairman of the Comelec, Bautista should have submitted himself to a lifestyle check… especially because he came from the PCGG. But because of his wife’s allegations, Sen. Grace Poe is now demanding a lifestyle check not just for Chairman Bautista, but all Comelec officials!

Incidentally, Congress just approved the postponement of the Barangay elections to May 2018. Call it timely that they approved this postponement at this time when the credibility of the Comelec Chairman to conduct fair and honest elections is in question. Of course, Chairman Bautista is trying to portray himself as the victim in this very public spat. But at this point, the least he should have done was use his interview with Karen Davila to announce a leave of absence so he can allow a fair and impartial investigation on the allegations of his wife Patricia.

While we can expect a Senate Blue Ribbon investigation on this sordid affair, however, I personally believe that no elective official should investigate the Comelec Chairman unless it was for an impeachment complaint. I would rather ask Pres. Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte to call for an impartial body, something like an Agrava type of commission with at least five persons of proven probity and character to do the investigation, wherein the members would not be “pressured” or “coerced” by the Comelec Chairman who could turn against them during this investigation. We should demand from Pres. Duterte to immediately create this impartial body!

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