Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista insists that his wife’s allegations that he has amassed more than P1 billion in assets not declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth can be attributed to their marital woes.
The couple has apparently been estranged for some time, and Mrs. Bautista, according to the poll chief, has been gathering documents in an attempt to extort money from him.
On Aug. 1, Patricia Paz Bautista submitted an affidavit to the National Bureau of Investigation saying she had discovered what could be proof of her husband’s corrupt practices as head of the commission.
Mr. Bautista has categorically denied all accusations and branded them as lies.
He added that while he still hoped they could fix their issues or address them in a civil and decent manner, his wife’s recent actions indicated she had no desire to save their marriage.
“Her actions are motivated by greed and that she will stop at nothing to besmirch my reputation and that of my family for the purpose of financial gain,” he said.
We commiserate with the chairman at the breakdown of his 17-year marriage. We will not, however, agree to dismiss the tiff as a matter between husband and wife. The stakes are just too high.
Mrs. Bautista said she saw evidence of bank accounts and real estate holdings, aside from investments abroad, she had not known about before. The question on everybody’s mind is how the Comelec chief, who presided over the 2016 national and local elections having been appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III the previous year, was able to amass these assets on a government salary.
It is not at all difficult to link the unexplained wealth to the results of the previous polls, and to imagine what favors might have been traded in this context.
Mr. Bautista says his wife has allowed herself to be used by certain groups to promote a political agenda.
But even the political fortunes of numerous personalities is not the issue here. That some may have benefitted and that some may have been cheated is still inferior to the idea that the will of the people may have been thwarted.
Certainly this is far larger and more profound than a squabble between husband and wife. This is the very essence of democracy, on which our society stands, that has been compromised.
Bautista should quit now and save the nation the trouble of a protracted impeachment process. We believe he has been irreparably tainted whether the charges are proven or not. A swift and impartial investigation should follow.