The Commission on Elections-Employees’ Union (Comelec-EU) on Tuesday rallied behind their embattled boss, chairman George Erwin Garcia, amid allegations of graft linked to the poll body’s automation contract for the 2025 midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the Comelec reported on Tuesday that it has received over 4.5 million voters’ applications.
In a statement, the Comelec’s organized workers-EU described the charges as “a systematic attack on the credibility of the institution” ahead of next year’s polls.
“We agree with Chairman Garcia that this is a well-oiled demolition job that is clearly meant to erode the public’s trust on the automated election system. As election frontliners, we cannot stand by idly as our beloved institution and our leaders are maligned with allegations and insinuations that are so blatantly unfounded and absurd,” the union said.
It added that the allegations are a direct affront to the “credibility of the elections that we have worked so hard to uphold and preserve.”
Garcia is being linked to million-dollar foreign bank accounts, allegedly from South Korean firm Miru Systems, the accredited automation service provider for the 2025 polls.
Garcia had vehemently denied the accusations.
Based on data as of July 13, a total of 4,565,405 applications have been processed since the resumption of registration on Feb. 12.
The regions with the most number of applicants were Region 4-A (Calabarzon) with 768,899; National Capital Region (Metro Manila) with 634,881; and Region 3 (Central Luzon) with 534,782.
The Cordillera Administrative Region remained at the bottom with 60,696 applicants.
The poll body projected that about three million would apply for registration until sign-up ends in September. The target was already met in May.
Voter registration activities are held Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from a.m. to 5 p.m. in all Comelec offices nationwide.
