The people are not yet through with Andy Bautista

the entire membership can decide to reverse the decision of the justice committee, which frankly is a remote possibility, everything is not yet lost for the people.

Even if Andy Bautista is an impeachable official, and the dismissal of the impeachment - fectively inoculates him with another year of immunity, there is nothing in the Constitution and the laws that prevent the Ombudsman or the Department of Justice through the National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI) from investigating his actions.

Also, there is nothing that bars the Senate, and even the House, from investigating matters pertaining to the issues raised in the impeachment complaint, either in their oversight functions or in aid of legislation.

We also have to take comfort in the fact that many of the allegations against Andy Bautista are in the nature of a conspiracy. He allegedly has received commissions from a private law firm on an election- related matter. He has admitted that the bank accounts that he failed to declare in his SALN are all joint accounts for which his co- depositors are not impeachable officials, and therefore do not have the same kind of immunity that he has. As such, parties who are mentioned can be investigated, and if found with probable cause then appropriate cases can be filed. Even as Andy Bautista is immune from suit, his acts will be scrutinized through the acts of others. The nature of conspiracies is that finding a co- conspirator guilty can imply the guilt of the other. Putting those others named on trial will technically, and indirectly, implicate Andy Bautista.

Hence, even if he remains in his post as Comelec chair for the next 12 months, thanks to the House justice committee, his political capital and his legitimacy will be severely eroded in the event that anomalies involving him will be found in legislative inquiries, or found to have prob- able cause in investigations by the NBI or the Ombudsman.

The pressure will be intense on Andy Bautista. And after one year if he survives and refuses to step down, then a more robust impeachment complaint can be investigations that can be initiated against him and others with whom he had joint deposits, or had questionable transactions with.

By then, the people would have the prudence to follow the correct format. And there would be no more need to establish personal knowledge since allegations will now be based on the outcomes of the official investigations. Hence, the House justice committee will no longer have any reason to dismiss such impeachment complaint on the basis of a mere technicality.

Andy Bautista said that the recent dismissal of the impeachment complaint will enable him to live a normal life, with business as usual.

The people will have to make sure that he will not have that pleasure.