Sixto Brillantes

Sixto Serrano Brillantes Jr. (August 14, 1939 – August 11, 2020) was a Filipino election lawyer who was the chairman of the Commission on Elections from 2011 to 2015. He was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III on January 16, 2011 to serve the unexpired term of Chairman Jose Melo.[2][3]

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Serrano and the surname or paternal family name is Brillantes.
Sixto Brillantes
Brillantes in 2014
Chairman of the Commission on Elections
In office
January 16, 2011 – February 2, 2015
Appointed byBenigno Aquino III
Preceded byJose Melo
Succeeded byChristian Robert Lim (OIC) Andres D. Bautista
Personal details
Born
Sixto Serrano Brillantes Jr.

(1939-08-14)August 14, 1939
Santa, Ilocos Sur, Philippines[1]
DiedAugust 11, 2020(2020-08-11) (aged 80)
Manila
Cause of deathCOVID-19
NationalityFilipino
Spouse(s)Francisca Verde-Brillantes
Children3
Alma materSan Beda University

Early life and education

Brillantes was born in Santa, Ilocos Sur on August 14, 1939 to Sixto P. Brillantes Sr., a former Governor and assemblyman of Ilocos Sur, and Azucena Serrano.[4] He has four siblings including former Labor Secretary and Ambassador to Canada Jose Brillantes.[5]

He studied at Saint Theresa's College of San Marcelino, Manila, and Ateneo de Manila University for grade school and then San Beda College for high-school and college, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree in 1960 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1965. While a law student, Brillantes was president of the San Beda College of Law Supreme Law Council and editor-in-chief of the San Beda College of Law Journal. He passed the CPA examinations in 1960 and then placed seventh in the 1965 bar examinations.[4]

Career

In 1966, Brillantes worked at the Court of Appeals as a legal researcher. From 1967 to 1972, he was a junior partner at the Brillantes Law Office. After that, he was AVP/Legal Affairs Officer of Northern Cement Corporation, a company owned by Eduardo Cojuangco, for 10 years from 1972 to 1982. From 1983 to 1986, he worked at various offices including the then-Ministry of Labor as a legal consultant. He was also a director, corporate secretary and legal counsel of the Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Group of Companies for various years. He then became a senior partner of several law offices starting in 1983 but specialized in election law only in 1985.[6]

From 2001 to 2006, he was the general counsel of the Nationalist People's Coalition, a political party founded by Cojuangco. He then was a legal consultant of United Opposition, a party founded by Jejomar Binay, from 2007 to 2009. He also helped in the campaigns of Cojuangco during the 1992 presidential election, Joseph Estrada during the 1998 presidential election, Fernando Poe Jr. during the 2004 presidential election and Benigno Aquino III during the 2010 presidential election.[6]

Brillantes was also a college professor. He taught general and election law at San Beda, Arellano Law Foundation, and Perpetual Help College, as well as accounting at the Philippine School of Business Administration and St. Theresa's College.[6]

COMELEC Chairman

Brillantes was appointed by President Aquino, his client,[7] as chairman of the COMELEC on January 16, 2011. He resigned as an election lawyer following his appointment and said: “Marami ang nakakakilala sa akin, and for the last 20 years, ako ho ang humahabol sa mga operator. (People already know me, and for the last 20 years, I'm the one chasing the cheaters)”[8] Some quarters had criticized Brillantes fearing that he may not be an objective COMELEC chief, having served popular clients such as former President Joseph Estrada and the Ampatuan family.[8] Even former Senator and Aquino ally Mar Roxas supposedly expressed reservations over his appointment. He allegedly voiced his fears to President Aquino that Brillantes may favor Senator Francis Escudero or Vice-President Jejomar Binay in the 2016 elections.[8]

The Commission on Appointments confirmed the appointment of Brillantes only on October 2011 after extensive confirmation hearings and several deferments.[9][10][11] During this time, COMELEC's legal department chief accused him of corruption while Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was vetoing his confirmation.[11][12][7]

Brillantes oversaw the handling of the 2013 midterm election.[13]

Personal life and death

Brillantes married Francisca Verde-Brillantes, a nutritionist-dietician, in 1970 and had three children.[14][15]

In 2000, he was awarded one of the Bedans of the Century by San Beda College. In 2009, he was awarded Outstanding Bedan Lawyer by the San Beda Law Alumni Association and in 2010, he was inducted to the San Beda College Alumni Association Hall of Fame.[15]

On July 25, 2020, Brillantes' daughter Zeena Brillantes and a former staff member separately disclosed that he tested positive for COVID-19.[16][17] Prior to this, he was confined at the Medical Center Manila on July 18, and was intubated on July 25.[18] He died on August 11, 2020, three days before his 81st birthday.[19][20]

gollark: So what does it do now?
gollark: Help *how*?
gollark: So do you have some code already written and need help debugging/improving it, or is this a "write all my code for me given a vague description" sort of thing?
gollark: What *exactly* is causing you problems? Also, this probably isn't urgent.
gollark: You should come up with a more specific question.

See also

References
  1. Sixto Brillantes, Jr.'s Birth Certificate
  2. "Statement of President Aquino on the appointment of Attorney Sixto Brillantes as Comelec chair". Official Gazette. January 17, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. "Aquino confident in choice of Brillantes as COMELEC Chairman". Presidential Communications Operations Office. January 17, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. "Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr". Commission on Elections. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  5. "Jose Brillantes Curriculum Vitae". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  6. "Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr". Commission on Elections. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  7. Tiglao, Rigoberto (November 16, 2011). "A vindictive President's desperate plot". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. News, ABS-CBN. "Brillantes: Give me a chance". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  9. "CA OKs Brillantes' confirmation". ABS-CBN News. October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  10. Ager, Maila (June 1, 2011). "Commission on Appointments defers confirmation of Comelec chief Brillantes". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  11. Pilapil, Jaime (September 15, 2011). "Brillantes' confirmation deferred anew". Manila Times. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  12. Pedrasa, Ira (September 12, 2011). "Rafanan wants Brillantes investigated by Ombudsman". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  13. Patinio, Ferdinand (August 11, 2020). "Brillantes pioneer of transparency in PH polls: Comelec". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  14. Uy, Jocelyn (May 5, 2013). "Man of the Hour". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  15. "Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr". Commission on Elections. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  16. "Former Comelec chief Sixto Brillantes has COVID-19 and is intubated, daughter says". CNN Philippines. July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  17. "Ex-Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. COVID-19 positive, says former staff". GMA News Online. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  18. "Ex-poll chair Brillantes intubated in Medical Center Manila due to COVID-19". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  19. https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/11/former-comelec-chairman-brillantes-dies-of-covid-19/
  20. https://rappler.com/nation/former-comelec-chair-sixto-brillantes-dies
Government offices
Preceded by
Jose Melo		 COMELEC Chairman
2011–2015		 Succeeded by
Andres D. Bautista
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