House resets Comelec's budget briefing due to Bautista's absence

REASONING

parental duties, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Juan Andres Bautista was a no-show at the scheduled budget briefing of his agency, forcing the House appropriations panel to cancel the deliberations and move it for the following day, Thursday.

Comelec Executive Director Jose Tolentino said Bautista is set to meet his children's guidance counsel or.

"The chairman will be meeting with the guidance counselor of his children...that's why he couldn't attend this meeting right now," Tolentino told lawmakers.

Asked if Bautista prepared a letter addressed to the House of Representatives delegating to the other Comelec commissioners the task to represent the agency at the budget hearing, Tolentino said it was only communicated through an "internal memorandum."

"[I have the] chairman's memorandum stating that… he is requesting Senior Commissioner Robert Lim, or if he is unable to attend, Commissioner Al Pareño to lead the team that will be presenting," Tolentino said.

But the panel's Vice Chairman Doy Leachon insisted that a formal letter be presented as they are "dealing with national budget, particularly a constitutional body."

"You must understand also that this is one of the most important concerns of the House for the whole year… So at the very least there must be a letter of authority coming from the head of the agency to represent the agency," Leachon said.

After a suspension, the panel decided to defer the hearing but threatened Comelec of "consequences" if the poll body will not attend in fullf or ce.

"We expect Chairman Bautista and all commissioners to be present as well as the executive director and other officials...[I]f the chairman will not show himself, then you may suffer the consequences," House appropriations committee chair Karlo Nograles said.

Bautista is currently being accused of accumulating at least a billion worth of ill-gotten wealth by his own wife, Patricia Bautista. The poll body chief has denied the allegation and said that his children are suffering the most over the issue.