To break the tie, if any

IThus, there is no point for President Duterte to dilly-dally to complete the seven-man poll body.

t’s been two weeks ago after three vacancies were created at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) with the lapse of the seven-year term in office of its ex-chairman Sherif Abas and commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Antonio Kho. But as of this writing, President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to fill in the vacancies at the Comelec.

Except Abas and Guanzon, the remaining Comelec commissioners are all appointees of outgoing President Duterte.

The coast is clear, so to speak, for President Duterte to appoint the replacements for the three Comelec commissioners. After all, the 18th Congress had adjourned already its sessions last Feb.3. Together with the Senate and the House of Representatives, the 25-man Commission on Appointments (CA) likewise adjourned its sessions.

The CA is chaired by the Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto lll who is currently running to become the next vice president of the country. Composed of equal numbers of Senators and House members, many of its CA members are also running for various posts on May 9 national and local elections this year.

Under our country’s 1987 Constitution, all presidential appointees to the heads and members of independent constitutional bodies like the Comelec are subject to a CA confirmation process. Once the CA adjourns, there is nothing to stop the Chief Executive from issuing ad interim appointments so that they can immediately assume office.

Thus, there is no point for President Duterte to dilly-dally to complete the seven-man poll body.

Especially at this stage, the next presidential election is just around the corner and the campaign period is already in full swing. Speaking of the campaign period, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Sotto, who is his vice presidential running mate, have been notably running the most disciplined campaign rallies. From the video clips and photos of the Ping-Tito campaign trail, their tandem visibly closely hews with the Comelec guidelines from social distancing to wearing of face masks. These protocols aim to prevent “super spreader” events that could worsen our country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

It indicates the kind of governance we can expect from the Lacson-Sotto tandem. A healthy adherence to the rule of law, respect for the health and welfare of their fellow Filipinos, and a promise to do better if they have any shortcomings. But this edge the veteran senators have is lost on the social media generation who believe what they see on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram posts. It’s so sad when the young voters especially do not realize their futures are at stake in this most crucial of elections.

Instead of wanting to see candidates sing-and-dance for their temporary enjoyment, Filipinos should appreciate the Lacson-Sotto tandem for their willingness to be serious in their campaign sorties to tell voters how they would tackle the country’s massive problems amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

True, the rest of the country may not be convinced that there are upright leaders like the Lacson-Sotto tandem, as latest surveys have shown. But it doesn’t mean that they can’t see and hear for themselves what true leaders are and should be, not what a social media post or a video can project.

Pinoys should really try to attend and see the LacsonSotto campaign sortie one of these days. They just might see the “edge” they’re looking for. When it comes to choosing the country’s next leaders, it is right in front of them – in an orderly, honest, and respectful gathering that shows what the Philippines could be in the years to come.

There is quorum though at the Comelec should there be any petitions or cases against campaign violations. Many of the national candidates have been blatantly breaking the Comelec guidelines for safe campaign while our country remains under public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The four incumbent Comelec Commissioners – composed of Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo, Aimee Ferolino, and Rey Bulay – will surely have their hands full on COVID-related offenses by many of these candidates. Being the most senior of the four commissioners, Inting was designated by her fellow commissioners to serve as the “acting’ chairman for now of the seven-man poll body. Inting immediately reorganized themselves to ensure that there will be no disruption of the Comelec’s Secure, Accurate, Fair and Free Elections (SAFE).

Inting presides over the Comelec’s First Division with Ferolino as member. The Second Division is now headed by Casquejo as presiding commissioner, with Bulay as member. The petitions or cases filed to the poll body on Feb. 9, or a day after the official campaign period started, will be raffled to the newly constituted divisions.

According to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, cases raffled previously to the former First and Second Divisions will be retained to their respective division in order to ensure the orderly, speedy and judicious disposition of the cases. The former First Division was reconstituted with Casquejo sitting as presiding commissioner, with Ferolino as member. The former Second Division will be headed by Inting as presiding commissioner while Bulay as member.

Casquejo and Ferolino were seated with Guanzon in the First Division that is handling disqualification cases of the various candidates, including that of presidential aspirant former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM). Before she bowed out from office last Feb.2, Guanzon released ahead her own ruling to disqualify BBM, citing “undue” delay by Ferolino as the writer of the ruling.

After bitter word war with Guanzon, Ferolino subsequently issued the decision, with Casquejo concurring to junk the three disqualification petitions against BBM. The same petitioners filed already last Monday their respective motions for reconsideration (MRs) for the First Division to reverse its ruling. Per Jimenez, the MRs will be certified to the four commissioners sitting together as one body.

With the BBM disqualification case still hanging, it would do well for President Duterte to appoint the three new Comelec commissioners to break a tie, if there is any.