Aquino backs Brillantes: ‘Don’t go’

MANILA, Philippines – “The country needs him.”

President Benigno Aquino III is willing to make time out of his busy schedule to personally convince Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr to stay on as head of the poll body.

In an interview in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Friday, April 19, Aquino appealed to Brillantes to rethink his statement that he may resign over several Supreme Court decisions against the Comelec.

Aquino said with less than a month left before the May 13 polls, it will be difficult to appoint a new Comelec chief.

“I think he will see that the country needs him to chair the Comelec at this crucial period. So is a meeting needed? I’m at his disposal. When he feels that he’s ready to meet with me, I’m always ready to meet with him,” Aquino said.

On Tuesday, April 16, a teary-eyed Brillantes said he was disappointed with the high court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Comelec’s implementation of airtime limits on political ads.

The poll body chief said then, “Maybe [I will] talk to the President and say, ‘I might be the problem.’ Maybe he wants me to leave, put another person in charge. I’m seriously studying it.”

Brillantes had said he contacted Palace insiders to set a meeting with Aquino but has not received feedback so far. He said he will make a final decision by Monday, April 22.

In the interview, Aquino urged Brillantes to reconsider.

“I think I read in the newspapers that he said it might be a ‘spur of the moment’ feeling at the time that he was most frustrated, which he said, ‘Let me think about it over the weekend.’ Think about it more soberly and less emotionally.’”

Brillantes said he will consult his children before making a final decision. Yet on Wednesday, he already went back to work and said he will ask the Office of the Solicitor General to ask the court to resolve the merits of the case on airtime limits.

In issuing a TRO, the Supreme Court stopped the Comelec from reverting to the original rule on airtime limits that each candidate for a national post can only air an aggregate of 120 minutes for all TV stations, and 180 minutes for all radio stations.

GMA-7, TV5, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, and re-electionist Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano questioned this before the Supreme Court.

They want the law interpreted to mean each candidate can buy 120 minutes per TV station, and 180 minutes per radio station.

Aquino: Airtime limits prevent corruption 

The President also told reporters he supported Brillantes’ stand on the issue. He said as a lawmaker, he voted against a bill subscribing to the interpretation the petitioners are pushing for.

“I think it’s a matter of public record. Maybe some networks will get mad [but] I voted against being able to access media, having ads and the reason is if we say there is a problem ith corruption, what are the salaries [of] government officials vis-à-vis even a 15 or a 30-second [ad],” Aquino said.

“You make the elections more costly. There might be more temptation to become more corrupt to be able to fund [a campaign],” he explained.

Aquino said spending for many ads tempts politicians to tap questionable sources of funds.

“I still subscribe to the idea that if we raise the expenses every election, it’s like we are encouraging others to look for other means to fund their expenses. This means they will always succumb to the temptations of corruption. That’s what we are fighting against.”

Besides the chief executive, poll watchdogs and many senatorial bets also backed Brillantes’ position on the airtime limits.

The Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections, and various senatorial bets said the Comelec’s interpretation is more faithful to the “essence” of the law, and levels the playing field between moneyed candidates and those with fewer resources.

Brillantes has warned senatorial candidates that the Comelec will go after them if they do not follow its interpretation and the Supreme Court eventually decides in favor of the poll body.

The poll body chief urged the Supreme Court to decide on the merits of the case soon, with only 3 weeks left before the polls. – with a report from Ayee Macaraig/Rappler.com