MANILA, Philippines (First published on Feb. 2, 2018) —Two commissioners of the Commission on Elections retired on Friday as a senator urged the Palace to hasten the process of finding their replacements to avoid hampering preparations for upcoming elections and possible plebiscites.
The terms of Commissioners Christian Robert Lim and Arthur Lim, both appointees of former President Benigno Aquino III, expired Friday, paving the way for President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint three members of the seven-man body.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian urged the president to immediately appoint new Commissioners, which is at the forefront of the preparations for the May 2017 village and youth council polls and 2018's midterm elections.
The COMELEC will also be on top of preparations for plebiscites if efforts to change the 1987 Constitution succeed and Congress passes the Bangsamoro Basic Law, further increasing the workload of the body, according to Gatchalian.
“The Commission can’t afford to lose precious time as we are nearing the Baranggay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in May and the midterm national polls next year. It is only through a complete and functioning election body that the rigorous demands of its preparations can be eased. Therefore, I believe the speedy appointment of new COMELEC commissioners is critically needed here,” Gatchalian said.
READ: Comelec renews contract with Smartmatic for 2019 elections
The senator advised the president to appoint someone who had expertise in managing systems or software technologies to avoid a repeat of questions on the integrity and accuracy of the country's automated election system seen in 2016.
"They should all maintain a good working environment and act in healthy accord with their fellow commissioners to ensure all reform initiatives take a singular direction,” he said.
With the retirement of the two Lims, the poll body has four active members: Commissioners Sheriff Abas, Rowena Guanzon, Luie Tito Guia and acting chair Al Parreño.
Abas was appointed as poll chief in November following the resignation of Andres Bautista who faced personal and financial issues during his final months in office which contributed to his departure from the agency.
However, Abas could not yet assume the chairmanship of the COMELEC pending the imprimatur from the powerful Commission on Appointments. He was reappointed by the president on January 16 after the confirmation body failed to act on his nomination last year.
READ: Charter-change plebiscite in May unlikely – Comelec
Lim was the head of the steering committee for the 2016 polls, making him the man who basically ran the national and local elections.
Before his retirement, it was revealed that Lim signed the COMELEC's decision to renew the contract of Smartmatic to supply the vote-counting machines for next year's midterm polls.
The COMELEC however maintained that the deal was aboveboard and was the best deal considering the budget it had.