(Eagle News) — Take a leave of absence or resign.
This was the message of the six commissioners of the Commission on Elections to their embattled chief, Andres Bautista.
In a statement on Thursday, Commissioners Christian Robert Lim, Rowena Guanzon, Luie Tito Guia, Arthur Lim, Sheriff Abas and Al Parreno urged Bautista to do either or “for the sake of his career, and most importantly, for the sake of his family, particularly his four innocent children.”
The commissioners said they “were constrained to come out in the open” as the Comelec chief “has not made good on his promise that he would inform (them) soonest on his course of action.”
In making the petition, the commissioners noted that an impeachment complaint has already been filed against the Comelec chief, and that charges have been filed against him by his estranged wife, Patricia.
It was lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and former Rep. Jacinto Paras who filed the impeachment complaint, which cited as grounds for impeachment, among others, Bautista’s alleged ill-gotten wealth, and his alleged failure to put in place measures that would have prevented the hacking of the Comelec website in 2016 that led to the leak of voters’ information.
Patricia has filed charges for violation of the Violence Against Women and Children Act against her husband.
“The grounds cited in the impeachment complaint, as well as the accusations that have been hurled between the spouses are utterly serious and partake of possible criminal liability,” the six commissioners noted.
They said that while the “process of law will take its normal course,” Bautista’s “defense will not only be spirited but arduous..” and he would “need to devote all his time and energy and effort.”
They also cited Bautista’s absence on Wednesday’s hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations “as he had to bring his four children to a guidance counselor.”
“The Commission was threatened with a one-peso budget; luckily, the commissioners present were able to convince the committee to reset the hearing to this morning, 24 August 2017,” they said.
“With all due respect, it is our consensus that Chair Bautista can no longer effectively lead the commission. The time for him to let go has come,” they added.
In a short statement, Bautista said “these are options that I have been considering and praying over.”
“When I decide, they (commissioners) will be the first to know,” he said.