Comelec chief to Cayetano: Be fair to me

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes on Tuesday appealed to his critic Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano to be fair and settle issues with him when he faces the Commission on Appointments (CA). "Be fair to me. You can confront me when I'm there (CA). Let the CA resolve it and decide. I'll accept their decision," Brillantes said during a press briefing on Tuesday. Cayetano is a member of the bicameral body. On Monday, Cayetano accused Brillantes of attempting to blackmail him in exchange for his smooth sailing in the CA. He claimed that Brillantes, through intermediaries, offered to "take care" of the election protest against his wife (Taguig Mayor Laarni Cayetano), in exchange for the confirmation of the poll body chief. Brillantes denied the allegation right away. "Okay lang sakin kung sabihin niya operator ako, cheater, alam ko naman hindi totoo pero (You can call me an operator or a cheater because I know it's not true but) to use words like blackmailng him, I can no longer accept that," Brillantes said. Brillantes explained that he does not need to bribe or blackmail Cayetano because there are 24 other members in the CA. The CA is composed of 12 congressmen and 12 senators and is headed by the incumbent Senate president. "My name will be submitted there. It will be debated upon. You can file all the opposition that you want, that would give me the opportunity to answer," he said. Comelec order Last week, the Comelec second division issued an order asking for the immediate retrieval of the contested ballot boxes in the mayoralty race between Mrs. Cayetano and retired Associate Justice Dante Tinga. Brillantes had served as counsel to Tinga when he was still an election lawyer. The Comelec chairman, however, said that he hasn't meddled in the case since he assumed his position in the poll body. Aside from Brillantes, the camp of Cayetano had also realier asked for the inihibition of second division Comelec Commissioner Elias Yusoph because he is supposedly "beholden" to a politician who helped resolved the kidnapping of his son. The Comelec chief, however, advised Cayetano to protect his wife but not to the extent of "destroying the integrity of everybody else." "I only pray that he will agree in bringing the ballot boxes here and finish (the case)," he said. Cayetano said he will be writing a letter to the CA in the next few days for a "full investigation and decisive action" on the supposedly blackmail attempt of Brillantes. The CA duty as mandated by the 1987 Constitution is to confirm appointments made by the President of the Philippines: the heads of the executive departments, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, or officers of the Amed Forces from the rank of colonel or naval captain, except those of the Ombudsman and Supreme Court justices. The CA discusses and deliberates on nominations at the standing committee level and at the plenary session. Nominations or appointments may end up being confirmed, rejected, or bypassed.— GMA News