Advertisements

IT WOULD seem to be entirely counter-intuitive, the appointment of noted election lawyer Sixto Brillantes as the new chair of the Commission on Elections.

On the surface, it would seem that the objections raised by politicians, foremost of whom would be former Sen. Mar Roxas, the President’s unsuccessful running mate, are entirely reasonable. Having lawyered for any number of candidates, winning or losing, in their disputes before the Comelec and the courts, it would seem that Brillantes has indeed too many “conflicts of interest” to allow him to perform his task of leading the election body with any credibility or efficiency.

But his many years of cruising the labyrinthine processes and complicated and even contradictory rules of our electoral system, which account for a long and lucrative career, recommends Brillantes for appointment to the body. As the saying goes, he “knows where the bodies are buried,” and could easily smoke out any attempt by a candidate or official or even another lawyer to deceive or dissemble before him and the other commissioners.

Also, being familiar with a host of political players, Brillantes could challenge them on their own turf, calling them out should any of them attempt to subvert or frustrate clean elections, granting of course that he himself is committed to cleaning up the system of electing our public officials.

* * *

THOUGH I have little basis for trusting him (my only encounter with Brillantes was an interview with him for the short-lived Inq TV), I believe Brillantes has good intentions for the Comelec.

At his age and given his wealth of experiences (not to mention his personal wealth), Brillantes had no pressing need to aspire to chairing the Comelec. True, he had made his reputation (as did his perceived main rival for the post, fellow election lawyer Romulo Macalintal) dealing with election officials. In fact, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano decried Brillantes’ appointment since the lawyer, he said, was “known to call up Comelec commissioners directly” on behalf of his clients.

What alarmed Cayetano even more was that election “specialists” like Brillantes and Macalintal used to “lord it over the Comelec” with their intimate knowledge of election law and chumminess with the commissioners and officials, until the adoption of automation which made election results much less vulnerable to “interpretation.”

Would the ascendancy of Brillantes, Cayetano seemed to imply, mean a return to the bad old days of manual elections and a deliberate attempt to weaken or destroy altogether the structure built for automated elections?

* * *

BUT someone like Brillantes, with decades of experience deciphering and maneuvering around the mysterious rules governing our elections, had, I am sure, beheld the conduct of the automated polls with relief, if not with rejoicing. Bringing our election processes up to date, after all, would have simplified things for him, especially since the results of the balloting were immediate and, save for some exceptions, beyond doubt and manipulation.

As for his ties to former and current clients, Brillantes told reporters that he had been bidding them farewell and telling them “to forget one another starting now. No allies, no friends, sorry.”

Of course, it would almost run counter to Filipino culture to adopt strict objectivity and neutrality when it’s your friend or former client before you. But Brillantes would know that he has much more to lose should he allow sentiment or friendship to get between his sworn duty to oversee the conduct of clean, honest and credible elections. He should know that, starting with the upcoming ARMM elections, many eyes would be watching him closely and following his conduct of Comelec affairs. Disgrace would not be a good way to cap a sterling career.

* * *

A REAL favorite of the family, for years now, among the restaurants in the Tagaytay area has been Buon Giorno which anchors the other eating places in The Cliff House, a restaurant-and-B&B complex along Aguinaldo Highway.

Recently, we had reason to thank the restaurant gods for bringing Buon Giorno a bit closer to us mortals in Metro Manila, with the opening of a branch at the Rockwell Business Center in the Ortigas district.

After a Mass and blessing, all the guests had a chance to try out Buon Giorno’s offerings, which ran the gamut from a cheese table of all varieties of cheeses imaginable and a roast beef carving table, to a salad bar featuring the restaurant’s famous Marlinjo dressing and a continental buffet that included risotto, pasta and dishes that have become familiar to Buon Giorno’s clientele. The dessert table included a spread of red and yellow watermelon cut into cubes each with a center indentation filled with balsamic vinegar, an innovation thought up by Linda Floro, the tireless spirit and inspiration behind Buon Giorno. Also among the desserts we spotted chocolate mousse baked into individual egg shells which many guests greeted with wonderment.

Among the mostly young kitchen crew members busy in the open kitchen we espied Jonathan, only child of Linda and husband Mark, a noted food and advertising photographer who humbly introduces himself as “simply a busboy.”

Jonathan’s presence in the kitchen (he is a Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management student at College of St. Benilde) assures us that the dream behind Buon Giorno, which helped put Tagaytay on the culinary map, will continue for many years. For now, we are simply grateful that when we yearn for our Tagaytay favorites, we will be able to satisfy that yearning by simply driving to the Ortigas area. But when we want to feel the chill and take in the magnificent view, nothing but the original will do!
Start Date: 2011-01-18
End Date: 2011-01-19