President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has named a new chairperson and two new commissioners of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ahead of the May 9 national and local elections.
In a Palace press briefing, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar confirmed the appointment of former National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) secretary Saidamen Pangarungan as Comelec chair.
Pangarungan, a lawyer, was former governor of Lanao del Sur province from 1988 to 1992.
He finished his Liberal Arts degree in 1971 and Law in 1976 at the San Beda College as a consistent college scholar.
After passing the bar, he immediately went to law practice with the prestigious Siguion-Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako law offices in Makati City until 1984, where he became a legal counsel of both local and multi-national companies in the country.
Andanar also confirmed the appointment of veteran election lawyer George Garcia and former Social Welfare undersecretary Aimee Neri as Comelec commissioners.
Garcia represented Senator Grace Poe during her disqualification case in the 2016 presidential elections,
He also represented defeated 2016 vice presidential candidate and aspiring presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his electoral protest.
Currently, there are at least four unresolved cases against Marcos’ 2022 bid.
Amid concerns over Garcia’s appointment due to his being a former election lawyer of a presidential candidate, Andanar assured that the selection of Comelec officials underwent a merit-based vetting process.
“Dapat respetuhin natin ang prerogative ng Pangulo. Hindi naman ito basta-basta na pinipili. Napakahabang proseso at mayroon ngang (We should respect the prerogative of the President. He doesn’t just select them. It is a long) vetting process. It’s not easy to choose an appointee na tatagal sa isang (that would last in a) quasi-judicial independent body like the Comelec,” he said.
The new appointees fill the three vacant seats in the seven-member Comelec en banc. Other members of the Comelec en banc are Rey Bulay, Marlon Casquejo, Aimee Ferolino, and Socorro Inting.
Great addition
Meanwhile, the Comelec welcomed the appointment of Pangarungan as its new chairperson and Commissioners Garcia and Neri.
“First, we do is reach out to them, find out when they want to assume. Always, the assumption is the prerogative of the appointee. Once they assume, (we) introduce them to en banc formally. They will now start dividing the work,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a press briefing.
He also expressed hope that the appointment of new officials will help fast-track the disposition of cases pending before the poll body and the settlement of policy issues.
“But of course, the Comelec is very happy about the news that we have new Commissioners and that we will face 2022 elections with a full slate. The commissioners will be asked to identify certain areas they are interested in. That will be used as inputs for the assignment of committee chairmanships. That will be part of the work to be accomplished when they come and join the en banc,” he added.
Jimenez said that the expertise and knowledge of newly-appointed officials will help the poll body fulfill its mandate.
“They bring a lot of expertise, knowledge regarding elections and election management and we feel that they are great additions to the Commission en banc and looking forward to working with them and further,” the poll body spokesperson added. (PNA)