MANILA, Philippines – James Jimenez is still the Commission on Elections spokesman, as the Comelec en banc has yet to act on a commissioner’s call for his temporary relief over his role in the poll body’s ill-fated debate series.

In a press briefing on Thursday, May 5, Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan and the seven-member en banc have yet to take up the recommendations made by Commissioner Rey Bulay, who is leading the investigation into the fiasco.

Aside from Jimenez, Bulay had also asked Pangarungan in an April 29 memorandum to temporarily remove Comelec education and information department (EID) director Frances Arabe “from any functions involving media relations and exposure.”

“He remains to be our spokesperson and EID director, together with Director Arabe. She remains to be the Director 3 of EID. Nothing changed. The recommendation is still that, just like that, and there is no action yet from the Chairman or from the en banc,” Garcia said.

Jimenez was present during the standard weekly press conference on Thursday, his first since the Comelec was left with no choice but to let go of its final two debates. He moderated the press briefing by calling media members who had questions, which were all addressed to the three commissioners present.

Jimenez and Arabe were the Comelec’s point persons in the poll body’s bungled partnership with Impact Hub Manila, whose chief executive officer issued repeated bounced checks to debate venue partner, Sofitel.

The private firm’s failure to settle its P14.095 million debt to Sofitel ultimately led to the cancellation of the last two presidential and vice presidential debates of the campaign season.

It was Jimenez who promised Sofitel in an April 1 letter that Impact Hub Manila would be able to fulfill its payment obligations, saying the Comelec will be the “source of funding” for the remaining events through the P15.3 million purchase request and notice of award for Impact Hub Manila.

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A copy of the purchase request, which leaked to the media, had the signatures of Jimenez, Arabe, and the Comelec chairman.

But Bulay said the Comelec en banc, of which Jimenez and Arabe are not a part of, is under the impression that the Comelec is not supposed to spend a single dime for the mounting of the debates.

Jimenez, after the controversy came under the national spotlight, had said he would refrain from making public comments on the matter. Arabe, meanwhile, had maintained her “actions have been aboveboard concerning the staging of the debates.” – Rappler.com