THOUGH we, too, have very serious misgivings about the eligibility, qualifications and competence of Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares as a candidate for the presidency, we think the Comelec, especially its Chairman Andres Bautista, has handled her case in a shockingly sloppy, unprofessional way. Regardless if the decision was correct or not, the behavior of the Commissioners, and in particular, Chairman Bautista, causes us great concern for the credibility of the conduct and outcome of next year’s elections.
The problem, which understandably infuriated the Senator’s supporters, happened Tuesday night when a couple of commissioners “leaked” the news about the 5-1 vote against Poe-Llamanzares by the Comelec en banc. Proper procedure specifies that the various opinions of the commissioners should be gathered, and a proper ruling explaining the vote written and signed before the ruling is officially made public.
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