The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has official designated lawyer John Rex Laudiangco as spokesman and acting director of the poll body’s education and information department (EID) vice James Jimenez who retired recently.
Meanwhile, the Comelec accredited the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) as its citizens arm for all electoral exercises for the May 2025 polls.
Comelec chairman George Garcia approved the designation of Laudiangco who previously held the position of director of the Comelec law department.
Jimenez was Comelec spokesman for 15 years. However, he was relieved following the controversial cancellation of the last two 2022 presidential debates.
Frances Arabe, who was also involved in the mess, was also relieved as EID director and designated acting head of the election and barangay affairs department.
Certain Comelec officials were likewise given ad hoc positions, among them executive director Bartolome Sinocruz, Jr. who was named overall supervising head of the Omnibus Election Code Revision Project.
Appointed co-vice heads of the ad hoc Omnibus Election Code Revision Project were deputy executive directors Teopisto Elnas, Jr. and Helen Aguila-Flores.
“Wherefore, the Commission (En Banc) resolves to grant the instant Petition. Petitioner Namfrel is hereby accredited as citizens’ arm of the Commission for all electoral exercises, such as but not limited to, special elections, plebiscites, initiatives, referendums, andrecall elections, but not including regular elections,” the Comelec said in a resolution.
Laudiangco said this was the first time that the poll body accredited citizens’ arm for a particular period.
“Before, they will file for accreditation for a specific election but due to a change of Comelec policy and we noticed that we will be holding plebiscite one after another, we accredited them until May 2025 polls,” Laudiangco told reporters.
“The en banc promulgated two separate resolutions granting Namfrel and PPCRV as citizens arm of the Comelec. They are the acknowledged and registered citizens arm of all the plebiscites. For all electoral exercises such as but not limited to special elections, all plebiscites, initiatives, referendum, recall elections…until the 2025 National and Local Elections,” Laudiangco added.
Laudiangco also noted that other groups may still apply for accreditation.
PPCRV is led by business leader Evelyn Singson while information technology expert Angel Averia Jr. is the acting chairman of Namfrel.