(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chairman Andres Bautista, but said that his resignation will be effective immediately, and not by year-end as what had been written by Bautista in his earlier resignation letter.
The letter from Malacanang dated October 23 read: “We refer to your letter tendering your resignation as Chairman of the Commission on Elections. Upon the instruction of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, I wish to inform you that your resignation is hereby accepted, effective immediately.”
The Palace letter accepting Bautista’s resignation was signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
Bautista earlier submitted a resignation letter dated October 11 to Malacanang, saying he was tendering his resignation for “personal reasons” and that this will be effective on December 31, 2017.
“The approximate 10 week period is meant to provide you Mr. President, sufficient time to choose my replacement as well as ensure a smooth and orderly transition within the Commission,” Bautista said in his resignation letter.
But upon learning that President Duterte had already accepted his resignation, with the instruction that this will be effective immediately, Bautista said that he will step down immediately.
Bautista said he received the letter from Malacanang with the instruction on his immediate resignation at 2 p.m. today, Monday, October 23.
-COMELEC en banc to decide who will be acting chairman-
He said he would no longer be attending the COMELEC en banc meeting tomorrow, and that the COMELEC en banc will be the one to decide who will be the acting chairman who will replace Bautista.
He said that his successor will serve his unexpired term until February 2022.
“Yung papalit sa akin will serve the unexpired term until Feb 2022,” said Bautista who told reporters that he has mixed feelings on leaving Comelec.
He said he feels sad because he will miss his Comelec family, and at the same time “relieved” with the President’s decision.
Bautista wrote and submitted his resignation letter on October 11. Later that day, he was impeached by the House of Representatives after a plenary session that rejected the earlier decision of the House Committee on Justice that rejected the impeachment complaint against him for insufficiency of form, due to an alleged defective verification form.
The House committee did not delve anymore on the substance of the impeachment complaint against Comelec chair Bautista filed by former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
But 137 lawmakers, or more than the one-third threshold of 98 lawmakers required by Section 11, Article 3 of the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings, voted to override the justice committee’s recommendations.
Before the decision of the Palace that BAutista’s resignation should be effective immediately, the Senate is set to start impeachment hearings against the embattled Comelec chief.
