Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista LYN RILLON / INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Senate would no longer hold an impeachment trial for poll chief Andres Bautista once it receives official word from Malaca帽ang that President Rodrigo Duterte accepted his resignation, according to Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.
Sotto on Saturday said that the Senate must be formally informed by the Office of the President that Mr. Duterte had accepted Bautista鈥檚 resignation, which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair said would take effect on Dec. 31, 2017.
鈥淚f the President accepted his resignation, we should be sent a copy so we don鈥檛 have to convene [as an impeachment court]. We cannot just get the information from the media,鈥� Sotto said in a radio interview.
In an interview with the government-run TV station PTV aired on Friday night, Mr. Duterte said he had accepted Bautista鈥檚 resignation.
The House of Representatives impeached Bautista on Wednesday just hours after he announced that he was stepping down at the end of the year.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if you can still impeach him or not because by resigning, he has removed himself from [the Comelec],鈥� the President said in the PTV interview, which was recorded on Thursday.
鈥淏ut what was on my mind really was, the other day, if Bautista steps down it would be better. There would be no more trouble,鈥� he said.
Several senators have said they would have to proceed with Bautista鈥檚 trial after the House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has warned that the passage of two major bills鈥攖he proposed 2018 national budget and the tax reform package鈥攚ould take a backseat once the Senate commenced the impeachment trial.
Congress has gone on a break until Nov. 13.
鈥淥ur calendar is too tight and the impeachment case will eat up a lot of our time when we resume session in November. Legislative work will be seriously affected and that is a matter that the leadership should highly consider,鈥� Drilon said.
In a forum on Wednesday shortly after he announced his resignation, Bautista said he delayed stepping down so that his successor would be given time for 鈥渁 smooth transition.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard when you鈥檙e suddenly thrust into the position,鈥� Bautista said. 鈥淚 will prepare a memorandum to my successor to identify the issues to be focused on. I鈥檝e always believed that succession planning is a very important component in an organization.鈥�
House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fari帽as said it was 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� that Bautista did not inform the House of his plan to resign, which the Comelec chief announced the same day the lawmakers were scheduled to discuss his impeachment case.
He said Bautista was aware that the House was going to consider his impeachment on that day.
Fari帽as said there was no more need for the justice committee to determine the substance of the impeachment complaint against Bautista because the plenary had already ruled on it.
He disputed the contention of Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman that the committee should have been allowed to thresh out the substance of the complaint before preparing the articles of impeachment.
鈥淭he Committee has to follow the House, which by a vote of more than one-third of all its members, decided to impeach Bautista,鈥� Fari帽as said.
The justice committee could no longer determine the sufficiency of the impeachment complaint鈥檚 substance since the House had spoken and impeached Bautista, he added.
Bautista was accused of betrayal of public trust and culpable violations of the Constitution for not declaring his true wealth in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, as well as for graft and corruption for allegedly receiving commissions from DivinaLaw, the legal counsel of Venezuelan election technology supplier and Comelec鈥檚 biggest contractor Smartmatic.
The impeachment complaint was filed by former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras based partly on allegations made by Bautista鈥檚 estranged wife, Patricia. It was endorsed by Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia, Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque and Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino.
The marriage troubles between Bautista and his wife were a 鈥渂lessing in disguise鈥� because it uncovered the 鈥渧ery mind-boggling鈥� wealth that the Comelec chief accumulated, Paras told reporters when he filed the complaint in August.
鈥淲hatever quarrels they have, at the end of the day, this is beyond domestic quarrel,鈥� Paras said then. 鈥擶ITH REPORTS FROM LEILA B. SALAVERRIA AND JULIE M. AURELIO