Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Andres Bautista
should find himself a damn good lawyer.
Department of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II just told
reporters that the wife of the COMELEC chair Patricia Paz Bautista can apply in
the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Government security may be provided by the government thru
its WPP, since reports that Bautista’s estranged wife has been receiving death
threats since submitting her affidavit accusing the head of COMELEC of hidden wealth amounting to some PHP1
billion.
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| Patricia Cruz-Bautista, the estranged wife of COMELEC chair Andres Bautista, claims in her affidavit that her husband has unexplained wealth. (photo credit to Rappler.com) |
Patricia Paz
Bautista states in her affidavit that her husband had money in banks,
condominiums, and interest and shares in companies established overseas worth
almost PHP1 billion which he did not declare in his 2016 Statement of Assets,
Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). The declared net worth that was submitted by
Bautista for the year 2016 was only PHP 176.3 million.
It was former
president Benigno S. Aquino III who appointed
Bautista last May of 2015 to head the COMELEC.
Over the weekend
it was reported that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will be joining the
ongoing probe on the alleged undeclared wealth.
"The
BIR wants to partner with us in this investigation. We need to see if there are
tax liabilities based on the affidavit and documents we have gathered,"
said Aguirre, who met with BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay on Sunday as they
discussed the parameters of the investigation and sharing of documents and
findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Last week, the Aguire
was very explicit in giving his orders to the NBI, to probe the allegations
against the Comelec chair and build criminal cases that could be pursued once
Bautista resigns, finishes his term or be removed from his post via impeachment.
The NBI was
directed to ask for bank records of accounts under the COMELEC chair’s name
with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Aguire stated
that the NBI had already coordinated
with various agencies including the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to
examine the more than 30 bank accounts mentioned by Patricia.
"The conduct
of parallel money laundering investigation was likewise requested from
AMLC," the NBI report stated.
The NBI likewise
coordinated with the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) which
Bautista headed from 2010 to 2015.
The NBI have also
with coordinated with the Office of the Ombudsman for Bautista's SALN. They
also coordinated with the Land Registration Authority (LRA), Land
Transportation Office (LTO), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),
Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and various property developers.
In answering the
question from reporters “why the through and swift investigation”, Aguirre said
the marital spat is unfortunate "but the government has to protect the
public interest."
Reports from PNA.gov.ph
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