|
By Sammy Martin Correspondent
TO totally eradicate doubts on
the credibility of the selection process in choosing new members of
the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Senate Majority Leader
Francis Pangilinan yesterday urged Malacañang to allow the public
to actively participate in the process so that genuine reforms in
our election process are realized.
Malacañang has denied any
involvement in the nomination of nine names for the vacancies in the
poll body.
This after he suspects that the
alleged selection committee created by the Palace are members of
President Gloria Arroyo’s family. They were the President’s
husband, Mike Arroyo, his brother, Iggy and presidential son,
Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo.
Both Iggy and Mikey Arroyo sit as
congressional representatives in the Lower House.
“Sino ba ang mga ito? [Who are
these people?] Is this a secret committee similar to the secret
committee conducted by them in the ZTE-NBN deal? Hindi kaya sina FG,
Mikey at Iggy Arroyo ang mga miyembro nito [Aren’t FG, Mikey and
Iggy Arroyo members of this (committee)?],” Pangilinan asked.
There are now two vacancies in
the Comelec: the vacancy created when controversial Commissioner
Virgilio Garcillano resigned after being implicated as the first
suspect in the Hello Garci scandal, and the chairmanship post
vacated by Chairman Benjamin Abalos when he resigned after being
named by businessman Joey de Venecia as the broker of ZTE broadband
project.
Other vacancies will soon be
created on February 8, 2008 when Commissioners Resureccion Borra and
Florentino Tuazon retire.
“The trouble with the lack of
transparency in the process is that people will doubt the outcome of
the process and assume palakasan or ‘connection’ was the sole
basis of the appointment. This undermines the capacity of the new
appointees to secure critical public support,” Pangilinan said.
The senator asked to know if the
committee ever conducted public consultations in Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao and have citizens’ groups, the church, people’s
organizations participate in the selection process.
“Have the nominees attend a
public forum covered by the media wherein they are to be interviewed
by the committee and their vision of a modernized election process
presented for public scrutiny,” he pointed out.
He said they challenge Malacañang
to have the nominees submit themselves to this public process. This
is Malacañang’s chance to ensure that the appointees will stand
public scrutiny.
He pointed out that the conduct
of the selection process is critical if the country is to get the
best and the brightest to safeguard the election process and ensure
the survival of constitutional democracy.
With lack of transparency in the
Comelec nomination process, new names to man the poll body will lose
credibility.
|
