The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) announced that they have unmasked the individual behind the alleged bank accounts where bribes from a South Korean firm where supposedly deposited for Chairman George Garcia.
However, Comelec officials declined to name the individual, saying the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is conducting a probe on the alleged spurious overseas bank accounts, will reveal the person’s identity when it releases its finding later this week.
During a press briefing, Garcia and six commissioners assured that the May 2025 national and local elections will push through despite the allegations of bribery.
Asked if Smartmatic, the disqualified automated voting provider, is behind the smear campaign against the Comelec, Garcia insisted that he would rather wait for the NBI’s investigation report to confirm if the said company was involved.
“These attacks aim to undermine our efforts to safeguard the electoral process. We remain committed to strengthening the public’s trust in the integrity of the elections, fulfilling our constitutional mandate to ensure free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections,” the Comelec officials and employees said in a joint statement.
Garcia and the six commissioners also rejected critics’ call for them to resign from their posts, as they challenge their accusers to present their evidence in court and not to resort to spreading lies through the “social media”.
The poll body’s chairman vowed to file charges against people behind the allegations, saying “those who spread fake and false accusations must be held accountable.”
