PATRICIA PAZ Cruz-Bautista, who has accused her husband, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Juan Andres B. Bautista, of having ill-gotten wealth, has been given provisional government protection.

Patricia Bautista
Patricia Cruz-Bautista, wife of Commission on Elections Chairman Juan Andres Bautista, joins Justice Sec. Vitaliano N. Aguirre II during a press conference at the Department of Justice on Aug. 18, 2017. — Photo by Kristine Patag via Twitter

“The provisional admission of Ms. Cruz-Bautista into the Witness Protection Program (WPP) was made in consideration of her safety and security as a potential witness,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II, in a press conference late afternoon on Friday, said, Mr. Aguirre said.

The WPP is a program under the Department of Justice (DoJ), which was made “to encourage a person who has witnessed or has knowledge of the commission of a crime to testify before a court or quasi-judicial body, or before an investigating authority, by protecting him from reprisals and from economic dislocation.”

The justice chief said that Ms. Bautista sought the DoJ for protection due to threats to her life. “She came to the DoJ freely and [to] voluntarily seek admission to the WPP,” Mr. Aguirre said.

Both Mr. Aguirre and Ms. Bautista, however, declined to elaborate on the details of the threats.

Mr. Aguirre said that Ms. Bautista has yet to officially execute an affidavit to the WPP, a requirement before the DoJ can provide full protection.

“She executed an affidavit dated Aug. 1, but di pa ‘yon napapasa (but that has not been submitted yet) so we could not comment on it, although I have read it. Kailangan natin i-assess ang (We need to assess the) statement,” Mr. Aguirre stressed.

Ms. Bautista, in an affidavit submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), alleged that her husband has amassed about “P1 billion” in unexplained wealth, while Mr. Bautista only declared a total of P176.3 million in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for 2016.

The NBI is conducting an investigation on Mr. Bautista. The justice chief said the probe will include the Comelec chair’s previous stint at the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Mr. Aguirre said that the NBI probe “can be used as basis in filing an impeachment complaint” against the embattled Comelec head.

Mr. Bautista, who has denied the allegations, has filed robbery and extortion raps against his wife at a local court. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

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