MANILA  - The Liberal Party (LP) on Friday defended the executive department's process of going through the qualifications of people its wants appointed to certain positions.

In a press conference, Team PNoy spokesperson Erin Tañada said they leave it to the wisdom of President Benigno Aquino to choose people he has confidence in.

Tañada and fellow administration party spokesperson Miro Quimbo also said they believe that the appointment of new Commission on Elections official Macabangkit Lanto passed a thorough process.

"Let's put it into context. This incident happened 20 years ago," Tañada said, referring to Lanto being unseated as Lanao del Norte congressman in an election fraud case.

"What you can be sure is that Team PNoy will stand for clean and honest elections and we believe that Mr. Lanto will be able to answer whatever accusation is hurled against him," he added.  "Leave it to Mr. Lanto to answer these questions with regards to whatever happened 20 years ago."

Quimbo said he is not aware of any direct connection between Lanto and the Liberal Party.

"We only heard that he, in fact, is a consultant of a committee in the Senate, I think that's a committee on oversight on labor. That is what we heard him explaining but he is not a consultant of Senator (Franklin) Drilon," he said.

He added that the ruling party "will never be privy or neither will we in any way connected to any kind of election that's fraudulent or that is not credible."

"We had perpetually been the victim of fraudulent election in the past. In fact, this is the very reason kung bakit nagkahiwalay ang Liberal Party sa nakaraang administrasyon ay dahil sa paninindigan iyan laban sa isang makatiwaliang halalan," Quimbo said.

He said Lanto's appointment should not be politicized.

"The appointment is being announced by the executive; there's a process to actually evaluate his appointment. Ang panawagan natin dyan ay huwag haluan sana ng pulitika," he said.

"Let's evaluate on the basis of how he is or what his abilities to deliver on his function or his oath as Comelec commissioner," he added.