Contenders for top Comelec post belie Palace faction war

Two top contenders for the Commission on Elections chairmanship on Thursday denied claims that they are pawns in a power play between two factions in Malacañang. Election lawyers Romulo Macalintal and Sixto Brillantes both insisted no one endorsed them for the post, even as Brillantes felt bad that he was dragged into politics. "There is no truth about talks of political factions. I don't know anyone from either group. I can say no politician endorsed me, and I never presented myself for the [Comelec] chairmanship," Macalintal said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB. For his part, Brillantes said that while he knows some people in both the so-called Balay and Samar factions in Malacañang, he was "never involved" in the perceived infighting. "I feel bad because we are talking about a nonpartisan position that has been turned into a political circus. I do not understand. I have never been involved in the politics of Balay and Samar," he said in Filipino in a separate interview.

On Wednesday, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III claimed two contending factions in Malacañang may be backing Macalintal and Brillantes. [See story: Factions back different men for top Comelec post] According to Osmeña, the Liberal Party-Balay group was backing Macalintal while the “Noy-Bi" faction [associated with the Samar group] appeared to be pushing for Brillantes. Earlier, President Benigno Aquino III confirmed he separately interviewed Macalintal and Brillantes for the top Comelec post, which chairman Jose Melo will vacate on Jan. 31. Macalintal once served as former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s election lawyer, but supported the electoral bids of Aquino and LP president and defeated vice-presidential bet Manuel Roxas II. Brillantes also supported Aquino’s presidential bid but pushed for the vice presidential candidacy of Jejomar Binay instead of Roxas. The Balay group is named after a frequent venue for LP meetings in Cubao, Quezon City, owned by the Roxas family. The Samar group is named for the residence along Samar Street in Quezon City, where the group supporting Aquino-Binay tandem in the last national polls supposedly meets. No politics Macalintal said he told Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. he will submit his recommendations whether or not he gets the post. "I'll submit my plan and programs by Friday. I told Ochoa, 'Mr. Secretary, I will submit my recommendations whether or not I get the post'," he said in Filipino. He also said he plans to consult his family about the post, but will still submit to President Aquino his recommendations for improving the Comelec. But Macalintal said his family was dismayed over the political intrigues this early. "Yan ang kinatatakot ng aking pamilya. Hindi pa nasisimulan nariyan ang ganyang batikos, pananaw at negative reaction (That is what my family is afraid of. The selection process has barely started when the brickbats are already being thrown)," he said. For his part, Brillantes reiterated he will set aside all political cases he is handling as election lawyer should he be appointed to the post. "We have to be there as an impartial arbiter," he said. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV