Comelec chief: Nothing irregular in 'reshuffling' of law dept head

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday there was nothing irregular in the replacement of lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan as the head of its law department. In an interview over radio dwIZ on Tuesday, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the replacement of Rafanan was part of the poll body's reshuffling. Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento is temporarily running the law department. Brillantes said the Comelec en banc may take up Rafanan’s reported disenchantment with the reshuffle on Wednesday. “This is an action of the commission en banc. We could have removed him, we have the authority to remove him from the law department and place him in another department. We are reorganizing and reshuffling. Hindi namin siya tinatanggal officially. Reshuffling ang tawag sa kanya, hindi removal," Brillantes said. However, Brilantes admitted that a rift between Rafanan and his deputy was a factor. The rift had caused confusion among employees and lawyers in the law department, Brillantes said. “The decision of the commission en banc is to pull him out of the law dept for three months at least so we can observe if the law department can be arranged. At the same time naroon siya sa (he is in the) special committee which is equally important," he added. “Ang gulo sa department, matagal na yan. Pero sabi ko nga this is a temporary solution. If he goes back from the (poll fraud) investigation special committee, medyo aayos, mag-soften ang kasama niya, maayos niya, pwede siya bumalik kung sakali yan ang decision ng commission en banc," he said. Brillantes said Rafanan could even be promoted when he returns from the investigation. Rafanan is part of a joint investigation by the Comelec and Department of Justice into alleged poll fraud in 2004 and 2007. Brillantes added the reassignment of Rafanan to the Comelec-DOJ investigating body will be for at least three months. - VVP, GMA News