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A ceremonial agreement signing between the Commission on Elections and some 2025 election partners on Monday, March 25, turned into a blast from the past after former Comelec spokesman James Jimenez made a surprise appearance.
Jimenez, the longtime face of the Philippines’ election commission, availed of early retirement in September 2022, months after his involvement in the embarrassing cancellation of the Comelec-led presidential and vice presidential debates.
What ever happened to the investigation against him? Why was he in the Comelec’s headquarters on Monday? Is this the second coming of James Jimenez?
As it turned out, Jimenez is a member and a former president of Rotary International District (RID) 3810, one of the Comelec’s partners for the information campaign for overseas registration and voting in next year’s midterms.
In a chance interview with reporters, he answered in the negative when asked whether he helped broker the deal between the Comelec and RID 3810. He also denied being employed again by the poll body in any formal capacity.
Rappler learned he visited the Comelec’s Office for Overseas Voting a few weeks back. One officer from OFOV even thanked Jimenez on social media for sharing “ideas on info dissemination drive for overseas registration.”
When asked about it, Jimenez downplayed the visit, saying: “They just asked to be connected [with a representative] because they can’t find the number.”
Comelec Chairman George Garcia also insisted that the poll body has no current formal ties with Jimenez, but admitted that the latter has sent feelers to return to the government agency that he had served for two decades.
“May mga ganoong pahiwatig si director James Jimenez (He has expressed willingness to come back),” Garcia said. “Depende ‘yan kung mayroong available na slot. Pero sa kasalukuyan, walang available na mataas na opisina dito sa Comelec (That will depend on the availability of slots. Right now, there’s no vacancy for a ranking official in the Comelec.)”
“Hindi ko alam kung pabiro o gaano kaseryoso (I’m not sure if he was joking or being serious),” he added.
The debate debt scandal that led to Jimenez’s downfall
At his peak, Jimenez was a formidable force in the Comelec, a constant talking head that millions of voters grew familiar with every election season.
He officially spoke for the Comelec beginning 2007, and outlasted five Comelec chairmen, but the role he played in the bungled Comelec-led debates in 2022 may have proven to be his undoing.
Documents obtained by Rappler at the time showed he had promised debate venue Sofitel that the Comelec’s partner Impact Hub Manila would settle its debt, which totaled P14 million in the end. Jimenez said the poll body would be the “source of funding,” even though higher-ranking Comelec officials were under the impression that the commission would not spend a single dime for the conduct of the event.
The Comelec – in a humiliating move – was eventually left no choice but to cancel the debates.
The poll body subsequently relieved him of his spokesman duties a few days before the 2022 elections, and he never got that post back since.
Garcia said Jimenez has yet to receive the benefits that came with his early retirement because the Comelec investigation against him is still pending.
What’s with the two-year delay?
Garcia claimed the investigation panel that the Comelec created to probe the scandal already came up with a report. The resolution, however, is supposedly being held up in at least one commissioner’s office.
“Iyong resolution, umiikot ‘yan since last year. Buti nga ngayon, na-remind na naman ako. Siguro, kung sinuman ang may hawak na commissioner, kukulitin na lang natin upang mailabas na, kasi siyempre, iyan ay isang hanging issue na dapat ma-resolve pa rin,” Garcia said.
(The resolution has been making the rounds in the Comelec en banc since last year. Thankfully now, I am reminded again of this issue. We will follow up with the commissioner who has the resolution at the moment to release it already, because of course, that’s a hanging issue that needs to be resolved.)
Without a final ruling on the controversy, the ghost of the mishandled debates will continue to haunt Jimenez, further complicating a comeback bid… if he is serious about it. – Rappler.com
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