Malacañang has informed Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista that President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted his resignation, the election official announced on Monday afternoon.
Instead of being effective December 31 as he indicated in his resignation letter, Bautista said he was told that his resignation would be effective immediately.
"We refer to your letter tendering your resignation as Chairman of the Commission on Elections. Upon the instruction of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, I wish to inform you that your resignation is hereby accepted, effective immediately," read Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea's letter.
Bautista said he would no longer attend the Comelec's en banc meeting scheduled on Tuesday, adding that the en banc would have to decide who the acting chairman would be.
He said he had "mixed feelings" after he received the letter as he would surely miss his colleagues in the Comelec.
"Ang nakalagay (sa sulat) ay effective immediately (pagbibitiw sa puwesto). Kung ano man ang pasya ng ating Pangulo ay malugod nating tatanggapin. Mabuti rin na bigyan ng sapat na panahon yung papalit sa akin, para maging handa," Bautista said.
On October 11, the House of Representative voted to impeach Bautista, hours after he announced his resignation that was supposed to be effective by year end.
It was former Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio who filed the impeachment complaint against Bautista on August 23.
The complainants accused Bautista of betrayal of public trust due to his failure to address the hacking of the Comelec website in March 2015 and for failing to properly disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
The complainants also alleged that Bautista betrayed public trust for admitting that he had received referral fees from the Comelec's technology provider Smartmatic through the Divina Law Office, and for obstructing justice in saying that, pending investigation, the script tweak of the transparency server during the 2016 elections was "merely cosmetic."
When asked if the impeachment against him would be moot and academic, Bautista refused to comment further.
"Hayaan na natin. Sabi ko nga ayokong pangunahan ang kahit sino. 'Yun nga may sagot na ang Pangulo," Bautista said. —NB, GMA News
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