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Factions back different men for top Comelec post — Serge
By KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMANews.TV
(Updated 2:14 a.m. Jan. 13) Two contending factions in Malacañang seem to be backing different election lawyers for the soon-to-be vacated top post in the Commission on Elections (Comelec), administration ally Senator Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III said Wednesday. Osmeña said that the Liberal Party-Balay group was backing Romulo Macalintal, while the “Noy-Bi" faction seems to be pushing for Sixto Brillantes as the next Comelec chief. Macalintal once served as former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s election lawyer, but nevertheless supported the candidacies of President Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III and vice-presidential contender Manuel Roxas II in last year’s elections. Roxas, a former senator, is an LP stalwart like President Aquino. The Balay group is named after a frequent venue for LP meetings in Cubao, Quezon City owned by the family of Roxas. Osmeña explained that Brillantes also supported Aquino’s presidential bid but in tandem with Vice President Jejomar Binay. The “Noynoy-Binay" team-up later led to their key supporters who assumed top posts in the Aquino administration being tagged as the Noy-Bi group.
Earlier in the day, Aquino confirmed that he has already separately interviewed Macalintal and Brillantes for the post of Comelec chairman. "[I] interviewed both of them," Aquino said in a text message to GMANews.TV. (See: PNoy: Ex-Arroyo poll lawyer among those eyed as Comelec chair) Osmeña noted that Aquino "met with Boy Brillantes for 45 minutes and met with Romy Macalintal also. So both are leading candidates to become chair of Comelec." Macalintal's links with Arroyo, Aquino "The LP camp is the one sponsoring Romy Macalintal. I think Brillantes supported Noy-Bi and therefore I think the Liberal Party doesn’t want a Noy-Bi lawyer to head the Comelec," the senator told reporters on Wednesday. Macalintal was the lawyer of Mrs. Arroyo who advised her on electoral issues until early May last year. He resigned just before the May 10, 2010 elections, after Mrs. Arroyo did not support his call for the polls’ postponement. Macalintal’s links with Aquino go back further, having also served as his lawyer when he first ran for congressman representing Tarlac's second district. Aquino served as Tarlac congressman for three terms, from 1998 to 2007. Osmeña also said that the LP was probably willing to "overlook" Macalintal's connection to Arroyo because he also lawyered for Roxas. Interviewed by GMA News' Joseph Morong also on Wednesday, Macalintal explained that his links with Mrs. Arroyo should have no bearing on his possible Comelec chairmanship. "Kahit na malapit ako kay Gloria, malapit din naman ako sa iba. Iisa lang naman siya, e kliyente ko naman siya," Macalintal told Morong. (Even if I'm close to Gloria, I'm also close to others. She's just one of my clients.) Brillantes-Binay links Brillantes, on the other hand, served as Aquino's legal counsel in the last presidential elections. It was Brillantes who, on behalf of Aquino, sought the disqualification of Vetellano Acosta from the May 2010 presidential race for being a nuisance candidate. Acosta’s name printed before Aquino's on the ballot would have meant some loss of electoral advantage. "I think he [Brillantes] is suspected of having been for PNoy but for Binay," noted the senator, although in his reply to reporters' questions he also seemed unsure of Brillantes' support for Binay. "Brillantes was the one who came to see me [when I was campaign manager], offered to help Noynoy and I put him in touch with [Noynoy's] legal team... Yes, he worked with us... But whether he worked also for Jojo Binay, remains to be proven," Osmeña said. "[Brillantes] worked with Noynoy’s legal team, and that would be Jojo Ochoa. But that would also be Nonong Cruz. Ochoa is in Samar, but Nonong Cruz was with Balay," the senator further explained. 'A natural thing in politics' Osmeña also said that the tension in the looming choice for Comelec chairmanship was being fueled by the supposed plans of the two factions for the coming 2013 and 2016 national elections. "It looks like this is one of the moves that the Liberal Party wishes to make in order to, shall we say, make sure that they are not disadvantaged in the coming elections," he said. "This is a party-building time for the Liberal Party. You can’t blame them, it’s a natural thing in politics, that’s not against the law. As a matter of fact, I would be very surprised if they did not make the proper moves at this time," he added. Osmeña noted, however, that both candidates "qualified" for the post and that he wished the next Comelec chairman would be "fair." In the GMA News interview, Macalintal also recounted that when Aquino interviewed him for the Comelec's top job, he told the President: "I think my family deserves the benefit of a consultation, na bago po ako makasagot sa inyo, gusto ko muna konsultahin ang aking pamilya [that before I can give you an answer, I want to first consult with my family]." The veteran election lawyer revealed that Aquino asked him how he intends to end corruption within the poll body and how to quell political violence in the country's perennial election hotspots, should he be appointed as Comelec chairman. It was not clear how Macalintal replied. Other proposed names Comelec chairman Jose Melo's seven-year term was supposed to end in 2015. Last November, however, Melo announced that he will quit his post effective Jan. 31, 2011. (See: Melo quits post as Comelec chairman effective Jan. 2011) Aquino said earlier he is already looking for people to replace Melo and two other commissioners, Nicodemo Ferrer and Gregorio Larrazabal, whose terms are set to end in February. The President said he is initially searching for Melo's replacement outside the commission, implying that he is considering the next chairman to come from those who are not incumbent Comelec commissioners. Other personalities that have been mentioned as possible replacements for Melo include:
Earlier in the day, Aquino confirmed that he has already separately interviewed Macalintal and Brillantes for the post of Comelec chairman. "[I] interviewed both of them," Aquino said in a text message to GMANews.TV. (See: PNoy: Ex-Arroyo poll lawyer among those eyed as Comelec chair) Osmeña noted that Aquino "met with Boy Brillantes for 45 minutes and met with Romy Macalintal also. So both are leading candidates to become chair of Comelec." Macalintal's links with Arroyo, Aquino "The LP camp is the one sponsoring Romy Macalintal. I think Brillantes supported Noy-Bi and therefore I think the Liberal Party doesn’t want a Noy-Bi lawyer to head the Comelec," the senator told reporters on Wednesday. Macalintal was the lawyer of Mrs. Arroyo who advised her on electoral issues until early May last year. He resigned just before the May 10, 2010 elections, after Mrs. Arroyo did not support his call for the polls’ postponement. Macalintal’s links with Aquino go back further, having also served as his lawyer when he first ran for congressman representing Tarlac's second district. Aquino served as Tarlac congressman for three terms, from 1998 to 2007. Osmeña also said that the LP was probably willing to "overlook" Macalintal's connection to Arroyo because he also lawyered for Roxas. Interviewed by GMA News' Joseph Morong also on Wednesday, Macalintal explained that his links with Mrs. Arroyo should have no bearing on his possible Comelec chairmanship. "Kahit na malapit ako kay Gloria, malapit din naman ako sa iba. Iisa lang naman siya, e kliyente ko naman siya," Macalintal told Morong. (Even if I'm close to Gloria, I'm also close to others. She's just one of my clients.) Brillantes-Binay links Brillantes, on the other hand, served as Aquino's legal counsel in the last presidential elections. It was Brillantes who, on behalf of Aquino, sought the disqualification of Vetellano Acosta from the May 2010 presidential race for being a nuisance candidate. Acosta’s name printed before Aquino's on the ballot would have meant some loss of electoral advantage. "I think he [Brillantes] is suspected of having been for PNoy but for Binay," noted the senator, although in his reply to reporters' questions he also seemed unsure of Brillantes' support for Binay. "Brillantes was the one who came to see me [when I was campaign manager], offered to help Noynoy and I put him in touch with [Noynoy's] legal team... Yes, he worked with us... But whether he worked also for Jojo Binay, remains to be proven," Osmeña said. "[Brillantes] worked with Noynoy’s legal team, and that would be Jojo Ochoa. But that would also be Nonong Cruz. Ochoa is in Samar, but Nonong Cruz was with Balay," the senator further explained. 'A natural thing in politics' Osmeña also said that the tension in the looming choice for Comelec chairmanship was being fueled by the supposed plans of the two factions for the coming 2013 and 2016 national elections. "It looks like this is one of the moves that the Liberal Party wishes to make in order to, shall we say, make sure that they are not disadvantaged in the coming elections," he said. "This is a party-building time for the Liberal Party. You can’t blame them, it’s a natural thing in politics, that’s not against the law. As a matter of fact, I would be very surprised if they did not make the proper moves at this time," he added. Osmeña noted, however, that both candidates "qualified" for the post and that he wished the next Comelec chairman would be "fair." In the GMA News interview, Macalintal also recounted that when Aquino interviewed him for the Comelec's top job, he told the President: "I think my family deserves the benefit of a consultation, na bago po ako makasagot sa inyo, gusto ko muna konsultahin ang aking pamilya [that before I can give you an answer, I want to first consult with my family]." The veteran election lawyer revealed that Aquino asked him how he intends to end corruption within the poll body and how to quell political violence in the country's perennial election hotspots, should he be appointed as Comelec chairman. It was not clear how Macalintal replied. Other proposed names Comelec chairman Jose Melo's seven-year term was supposed to end in 2015. Last November, however, Melo announced that he will quit his post effective Jan. 31, 2011. (See: Melo quits post as Comelec chairman effective Jan. 2011) Aquino said earlier he is already looking for people to replace Melo and two other commissioners, Nicodemo Ferrer and Gregorio Larrazabal, whose terms are set to end in February. The President said he is initially searching for Melo's replacement outside the commission, implying that he is considering the next chairman to come from those who are not incumbent Comelec commissioners. Other personalities that have been mentioned as possible replacements for Melo include:
- Carlos Medina Jr., a human rights lawyer and election reform advocate, a national convenor of Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) and a current member of the Truth Commission (See: Human rights lawyer leads nominees for Comelec post);
- retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing; and
- retiring SC Associate Justice Eduardo Nachura.
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