Bautista's impeachment case declared moot

THE House committee on justice on Tuesday declared moot and academic the impeachment complaint against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Juan Andres Bautista, day after President Rodrigo Duterte accepted his resignation.

Mindoro Oriental Representative Reynaldo Umali, panel chair, said the President's acceptance of Bautista's offer to resign mooted the impeachment process against the Comelec chair.

"There was an offer. There was an acceptance effective immediately. This meeting of the minds rendered this issue finished," Umali said.

On October 11, Bautista submitted a resignation letter effective December 31, citing the need to prioritize his family, but the President officially accepted it on Monday, October 24.

"The Palace has accepted the resignation of Commission on Election's chairman Andres Bautista effective immediately," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

He said the six remaining Comelec commissioners, in the meantime, can appoint the poll agency's officer-in-charge.

"As an independent commission, the Comelec will resolve among its remaining commissioners as to who will be the officer in charge, until such time the President appoints the new chair," Abella added.

He said the President has yet to appoint a new chairman of Comelec.

Duterte in an earlier interview said that it was not necessary to oust Bautista since the latter already decided to resign.

Bautista said Monday that he got the news from Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea informing him that the President had accepted his resignation "effective immediately".

The House panel was supposed to tackle the Articles of Impeachment against Bautista after the House of Representatives voted to proceed with the impeachment complaint against the poll chief for culpable violation of the constitution and betrayal of public trust.

The case against stemmed from the allegations of his estranged wife, Patricia, about her husband's supposed assets that were not listed on his Statement of Assets Liabilities and Networth.

Bautista was also accused of neglecting his duties as Comelec Chair after he failed to address the leakage of the voters' data from the Comelec's website months before the 2016 nationwide polls and the tweaking of a script by the officials of the poll provider Smartmatic.

Majority of the House members voted to override the recommendation of the justice panel to dismiss the impeachment complaint.

The impeachment complaint was filed former Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras and lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and Manuelito Luna.

Aside from Bautista, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is also facing an impeachment complaint before the House justice committee.

Next Comelec chief

Amid Bautista's resignation, there were speculations that Duterte's chief legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, was eyeing to assume the position.

Abella, however, refused to comment on Panelo's alleged desire to serve as Comelec chief.

Panelo, in a separate statement, dismissed as "mere hearsay" his alleged plan to replace Bautista.

"That's a mere hearsay. There have long been persistent rumors that I want to be the Comelec chairman. I am not interested to assume that position," he said.

(PS Jun M. Sarmiento/Ruth Abbey Gita/Keith Calayag/SunStar Philippines)