Pinoy VOTE

With the sudden resignation of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos, civil society groups expect intense jockeying for his replacement in the coming days.

“We expect that there would be lobbying and that it could be intense. And with his resignation, the lobbying will come sooner than expected,” Vincent Lazatin, executive director of the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), said.

But Malacañang said it’s in no hurry to fill up existing and looming vacancies at the Comelec amid mounting calls for President Arroyo to revamp the poll body to redeem its tarnished image

“She can take her time. There is really no hurry in appointing that because there is sufficient number for them to transact business,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol said.

An umbrella organization of 25 civil society groups, TAN vows to closely monitor how Malacañang would choose Abalos’ replacement.

Abalos, who was named Comelec chair in 2002, resigned four months before his scheduled retirement in February 2008. Commissioners Resurreccion Borra and Florentino Tuason will also retire in February. A seat for commissioner has been vacant since 2002.

As the most senior Comelec official, Borra becomes acting chair, a position he is expected to keep until his retirement.

The other commissioners are Rene Sarmiento, Nicodemo Ferrer and Romeo Brawner.

Former Laguna governor Jose Lina is being eyed as the next Comelec chief, but civil society groups are against his appointment.

A Cabinet official, who asked not to be named, confirmed to The STAR that Mrs. Arroyo has received several endorsements of Lina. “She said she would consider this.”

Last week, TAN launched the “Comelec Appointment Watch” to ensure that only qualified people are appointed to the poll body.

TAN also held a forum-seminar on ways to improve the selection process. The group hopes to submit its recommendations to Mrs. Arroyo.

Lazatin added that Abalos made the right decision when he resigned.

“It’s a good thing. There are probably very few people (in a situation like his) who would decide to resign. Most people would cling to power,” Lazatin said. “But by resigning, it doesn’t mean that he is off-the-hook. He must answer all the charges (against him).”

Earlier, Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta and election lawyer Leila de Lima were reported to be being groomed as commissioners.

Revamp calls

The Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP), which was co-founded by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, batted for a revamp at the Comelec “to restore people’s trust in the poll body.”

“So many credible reports of corruption in the Comelec make a revamp urgent. Many of the citizenry nowadays regard the commission as an auction firm – victory goes to the highest bidder,” PDSP co-founder Romeo Intengan, SJ said.

“Now is the perfect time for the President to name someone with unquestioned integrity and competence to head the poll body, which plays such a huge role in the protection of democracy,” Intengan said.

The PDSP leader also called on Mrs. Arroyo to allow various sectors to participate in the selection of the next Comelec chairman.

He noted that a change in leadership should give the Comelec an opportunity to rectify past mistakes such as its accreditation of “bogus” party-list groups.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor group, joined the growing clamor for a revamp at the Comelec.

“The resignation of Abalos provides Malacañang a superb opportunity to boldly reform the poll body and restore its soiled image,” TUCP president Democrito Mendoza said as he urged the President to choose carefully the replacement for Abalos.

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