Justice official named Comelec commissioner

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has named a fraternity brother as ad interim commissioner of the Commission on Elections ( Comelec), his top aide said on Friday.

Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, in a text message, confirmed that Duterte appointed Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho Jr. to fill in the post vacated by now Comelec chair Sheriff Abas.

Kho is a bar topnotcher from San Beda College of Law and a fraternity brother of Duterte and former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II at the Lex Talionis Fraternity.

He is Duterte’s fourth appointee in the poll body; his appointment completes the seven- man collegial body.

Like Abas, Kho will serve in the Comelec until February 2022.

Apart from Abas, the President had also appointed former Court of Appeals Associate Justice Socorro Inting and former assistant regional director of Comelec- Davao Marlon Casquejo as Comelec commissioners.

With Kho’s appointment, all of the fraternity brothers brought by Aguirre at the DoJ during his stint are all but weeded out, including Erickson Balmes, Reynante Orceo and Reymundo Mecate who were sacked by Duterte.

Only Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco remains inside the justice department and will be the most senior DoJ undersecretary.

Recently appointed as Justice undersecretaries were former Rep. Emmeline Aglipay- Villar of DIWA partylist, wife of Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, and Mark L. Perete and Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay.