By Jenniffer B. Austria

DEPUTY Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite is tipped to replace Commissioner Jesus Martinez at the Securities and Exchange Commission after Martinez was accused of receiving P4.6 million in bribes in the Legacy Group mess.

Sources told Standard Today that Martinez had been angling for a reappointment or for another government post when his fixed seven-year term expired yesterday.

Sources said Martinez, through his cousin Para?aque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita, had been lobbying Malaca?ang to reappoint him.

But Malaca?ang has ordered Martinez to go on leave while the presidential anti-graft commission investigates his role in the Legacy Group scandal.

Zialcita has also been accused of receiving P100,000 a month as consultancy fee from Legacy, but the congressman has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Martinez has not been seen since Tuesday in his office, where only one of his staff has been reporting to answer telephone calls and queries.

But Martinez?s belongings are still in his office.

Gaite, an Ateneo law graduate, was accused last year by former Philippine Forest Corp. president Rodolfo Lozada of giving him P500,000 for his expenses in Hong Kong to prevent him from testifying before the Senate on the ZTE-NBN deal.

The SEC en banc conducted it weekly meeting yesterday and discussed Martinez.

Sources said SEC Chairman Fe Barin asked all the directors about the sentiments of the SEC personnel after Martinez became embroiled in the scandal.

SEC employees? morale was low because of all of these things, the source said.

?The SEC is now being mentioned in the same breath as other agencies that are known to be corrupt.?