Catfight at the Comelec

On her last few days in office, outgoing Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Rowena Guanzon has literally gone berserk like a bull in a china shop. By this Wednesday, Guanzon’s seven-year term in office is terminated along with that of Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas and fellow Commissioner Antonio Kho. Their departure from the Comelec coincided with the Chinese lunar new year.

Guanzon steps down from office in the Chinese lunar calendar’s Year of the Tiger. Guanzon’s fiery clawing and gnashing of teeth personified the tiger in her in the ultimate battle while still at the Comelec. But casting aspersion and doubts on the integrity and independence of the poll body, Guanzon is leaving the four sitting Comelec commissioners with the proverbial sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

The four incumbent Comelec Commissioners, namely, Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo, Aimee Ferolino and Rey Bulay are now finding themselves at the receiving end of the dusts kicked up by the hopping mad Guanzon.

Of the four commissioners, Casquejo and Ferolino are seated with Guanzon in the first division of the Comelec handling disqualification cases of the various candidates in the forthcoming national and local elections on May 9 this year.

But it is Ferolino whom Guanzon is currently embroiled in a nasty exchange of accusations over the celebrated disqualification cases filed against presidential aspirant former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM).

Except Abas and Guanzon, the five Comelec commissioners are all appointees of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. Abas and Guanzon are the remaining Comelec appointees of the late president Benigno Simeon Aquino III. But it was President Duterte who promoted Abas to head the poll body in 2017 following the controversial resignation of erstwhile Comelec chairman Andres Bautista.

Abas took over from the unfinished term of Bautista who, during his shortened watch at the Comelec, had brushes also with Guanzon. Bautista had kept away from public knowledge his differences with Guanzon, and Guanzon against the other Comelec commissioners. As a collegial body, Bautista always rationalized, internal debates are matters that must be resolved amongst commissioners during en banc meetings of the seven-man poll body.

As the presiding officer of the first division of the Comelec, Guanzon handled three disqualification cases against BBM. Given her own timeline, Guanzon went around town announcing a self-imposed deadline until Jan. 17 this year to come out with a ruling on the BBM cases under her division. In subsequent public disclosures, Guanzon revealed she submitted ahead her own “dissenting opinion” on the BBM cases.

Incidentally, Guanzon maintains personal social media accounts in Facebook and Twitter. In fact, one of her earlier Twitter posts, Guanzon practically jumped the gun on President Duterte on who would take over from Abas as Comelec chairman. “Commissioner Socorro Inting, most senior commissioner on Feb. 3, will be Acting Chairperson @Comelec while PRRD (President Duterte) has not appointed a Chair,” Guanzon posted in her official Twitter account on Jan. 24. As previously raised in this corner, was Guanzon preempting the President?

This is because of the four Comelec commissioners, Inting is the most senior-ranked in the hierarchy of appointees. Inting was first appointed by President Duterte on April 17, 2018; Casquejo on June 19, 2018; and, Ferolino on Nov. 26, 2020. Commissioner Casquejo’s term ends on Feb. 2, 2025. On the other hand, both Ferolino and Bulay have terms ending on Feb. 2, 2027. Although they enjoy fixed term in office, the Comelec chairman and six commissioners can be removed by impeachment, incapacity, or death.

Invoking this constitutional provision, Guanzon reminded her detractors and critics she is an impeachable official if they wish to file a case against her. Of course, impeachment is no longer an option.

It was after Guanzon appeared in an exclusive interview with TV network GMA-7 on Thursday when she claimed a certain politician had unusual interest on her Division’s ruling on the BBM cases. Guanzon accused a certain “Senator” whom she did not name as having allegedly reached out to her. Guanzon narrated she was given the impression the inquiry was for and in behalf of President Duterte. She herself doused such empty claims. With her usual braggadocio character, Guanzon swore she believes President Duterte’s public policy avowals of non-interference into the affairs of constitutional bodies like the Comelec.

In her Twitter rants, Guanzon engaged in name-calling to respond to the attacks of her detractors and opponents. George Briones, BBM’s chief legal counsel, declined to dignify Guanzon’s diatribes, she being a Sigma Rho Fraternity sister. Incidentally, Guanzon recalled the high respects to her by BBM’s eldest sister, Sen. Imee Marcos as classmates at the College of Law in the University of the Philippines.

Ferolino responded to Guanzon’s tirades with equal ferocity. Short of calling Guanzon a bully, Ferolino vowed to hold her accountable for the premature public disclosures on the BBM cases and for putting her life in danger in revealing who will be writing the final ruling on these cases.

In a three-paged letter sent to the outgoing Comelec chairman the next day, Ferolino complained of Guanzon’s persistence to expedite the BBM cases and even accused her of “undue delay” to finish the ponencia, or written ruling. In her letter, Ferolino countered it was Guanzon’s “undue rush,” on the contrary, that gave her more reasons to conduct impartial review of the cases. Worse, Ferolino told Abas, Guanzon impressed upon her she should not come out with a ruling not in consonance with the Division’s presiding officer.

Who is the cornered cat in this Comelec intramurals? More than the catfight between the two, this brouhaha unfortunately serves to weaken the credibility of the country’s next presidential elections.

At the very roots of our country’s democracy, free and fair elections hold the nation together.