(Eagle News) — Former Commission on Elections Andres Bautista was a no-show at Wednesday’s Senate committee hearing on the allegations of undeclared wealth against him.
This was despite an invitation sent to his three residences by the Senate committee on banks that is holding the hearings aimed also at looking into possible revisions in the Bank Secrecy Law and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
This is the panel’s second hearing. The first was held on Aug. 23.
The panel said it sent invitations to the three residences of Bautista, but only one received the invitation.
The committee said Bautista did not issue a response, nor send an excuse letter.
A subpoena will reportedly be issued against him if he fails to explain within the day why he did not make his appearance.
According to Senator Chiz Escudero, Bautista should give his testimony even if he gives a waiver allowing access to his bank accounts.
Escudero added the former COMELEC chair should also explain why he transferred to the Luzon Development Bank, and not to government-owned banks, the sequestered assets of the Presidential Commission on Good Government when he was that agency’s chair.
Despite his absence, Wednesday’s hearing pushed through as officials from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Insurance Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Council were present to serve as resource speakers.
Lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and former Rep. Jacinto Paras filed an impeachment complaint in August against Bautista on the basis mostly of his estranged wife Patricia’s allegations of undeclared wealth.
Topacio and Paras also accused the then-COMELEC chair of betrayal of public trust for his alleged failure to address the hacking of the Comelec website in March 2015 that led to the leak of personal information of several voters.
The complainants also accused Bautista of betrayal of public trust for his receipt of referral fees from the Smartmatic, then the COMELEC’s technology provider, through the Divina Law Office, among others.
On September 20, the House justice panel dismissed the impeachment complaint after it was found insufficient in form due to deficient verification.
This was, however, overturned by the House of Representatives, which voted against a motion to adopt the panel report dismissing the impeachment complaint.
Earlier that day, Bautista announced that he already submitted his resignation letter to President Rodrigo Duterte. With a report from Meanne Corvera, Eagle News Service
