Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioners Nelson Celis and Ernesto Maceda Jr. secure their Commission on Appointments (CA) nod on Wednesday (Dec. 14, 2022) (Photo courtesy of Nelson Celis and Xavier Alumni)
MANILA – The Commission on Appointments approved Wednesday the interim appointments of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioners Nelson Celis and Ernesto Maceda Jr. along with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and National Economic Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan who got their panel approval on Tuesday.
Celis, whose term will expire on Feb. 2, 2029, told the CA that he had consistently advocated modernized electoral exercises.
"My advocacy has not been limited to writing over a hundred articles related to compliances and implementation of automated election system law in a regular column of one of our major newspapers from 2014 to 2022. I have contributed my technical expertise in crafting the provisions of RA 9369 or the Automated Election Law," Celis said.
"I have also served as a consultant of the Commission on Elections and have provided inputs for the execution of the Comelec's automation project with the Philippine Computer Society," he added.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos appointed Celis on Aug. 15.
Celis was co-convener of Automated Election System Watch, an election watchdog that pushes for clean and honest automated polls, and became its spokesperson in 2011.
An electronics and communications graduate of Don Bosco Technical College, Celis had been chief information office of Megalink and Philippine Veterans’ Bank, general manager of a technology company, and is the managing director of his cybersecurity firm.
He is also the founding director of the National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines.
"Now that I accepted to assume the role as one of the commissioners, I will be exacting the same degree of accountability for myself and my fellow civil servants in the Commission," Celis said.
Meanwhile, Maceda vowed that he will work on the election gaps and rules that need revisiting in light of the changing political and socio-economic environment.
"As a legal-reform advocate, I will work with the Commission en banc on programs that allow for a deep meaningful study of our rules precedent to protect constitutional values," he said.
Maceda, son of the late former Senate President Ernesto Maceda Sr., is a renowned election lawyer and election law professor at Arellano University and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said it is an advantage for the poll body since they will be able to do many things and implement many projects.
“It’s already complete, not only the en banc but more so the 2 divisions. Resolution of more cases can be assigned and divided among them,” he said in a statement.
“Also, administrative and operations phases of the Commission’s mandate can likewise be distributed more evenly, efficiently and effectively, wherein a Commissioner-in-Charge can be designated to head a standing or working committee or a task force,” the poll body official added.
The other members of the en banc include Comelec chairman George Garcia, Commissioners Socorro Intinng, Marlon Casquejo, Aimee Ferolino and Rey Bulay.
On Tuesday night, Bautista, Acuzar and Balisacan get their CA nod after getting through the CA committee’s grilling.
Along with the Cabinet members and Comelec commissioners, three appointed foreign service officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs and 54 General and Senior Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were also confirmed by the CA.
Meanwhile, the Comelec together with the management of Robinsons Malls and SM Malls have signed separate memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the pilot test of the Register Anywhere Project (RAP) in their malls in Metro Manila, Bicol and Tacloban.
The registration in RAP will begin on Dec. 17 and will last until Jan. 22, 2023. The activity will only be held every Saturday and Sunday, except for Dec. 24, 25 and 31, 2022 and Jan. 1, 2023.
The venues include SM Mall of Asia (Pasay City), SM Fairview (Quezon City), SM Southmall (Las Piñas City), Robinson's Place Manila and Robinsons Galleria (Quezon City), Robinsons Mall Tacloban, Barangay Baras Baras, Tacloban City; SM City Legazpi, Imelda Roces Avenue, Zone 9, Barangay 37 Bitano, Legazpi City, Albay and Robinsons Mall Naga, Naga City, Camarines Sur. (With report from Ferdinand G. Patinio/PNA)
