MANILA – Two months before the start of the filing of certificates of candidacies for the May 2025 senatorial, local and party-list elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) came under fire from some sectors, including a sitting congressman and a former lawmaker, due to allegations of bribery involving about P1 billion from a South Korean firm which had won the bidding for the supply of election equipment and systems.

Chairman George Garcia, backed up by Comelec commissioners, officials and employees from the main office and those in cities, towns and provinces nationwide, vehemently denied allegations that he has more than 40 offshore bank accounts through which the alleged bribery were passed on using South Korea and Singapore banks.

Garcia also denied owning any local bank accounts with hefty sums as he signed a waiver to allow the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and other investigators to look into the accounts. He added he will give away the money if the accounts existed.

 Garcia and the Comelec officials bewailed the allegations as part of a well-funded campaign to discredit the poll body at this time when they are in a frenzy for the preparations for the May elections that includes for the first time that of the Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region.

Comelec Commissioners led by Marlon Casquejo said the alleged attacks against Garcia is a “direct attack” to the poll body. 

“Clearly, we see this as a direct attack not only to Chairman Garcia but to the entire institution. As you can see, we our united so we will see to it that those persons who are doing these malicious attacks against our institutions ay mananagot,” said Casquejo. 

The Commission on Elections-Employees’ Union (Comelec-EU) on Tuesday rallied behind chairperson George Erwin Garcia amid allegations of graft linked to the poll body’s automation contract for the 2025 midterm elections.

In a statement, the Comelec-EU described the allegations as “a systematic attack on the credibility of the institution” ahead of next year’s polls.

South Korean firm Miru Systems  condemned the bribery accusations against the Commission on Elections (Comelec). 

 “This is a serious allegation that should not have been made public without any evidence,” the company said in a press statement. 

“This baseless and careless accusation not only maligns our reputation, it also detracts us from all the work that needs to be done with the Comelec for the 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE),” it added. 

Miru Systems said it will cooperate with government agencies that would investigathe the issue and may consider pursuing legal action, if necessary. 

In a press conference fed live, Garcia said  the documents handed over to him by former Caloocan representative Edgar Erice which supposedly contain a list of foreign bank accounts linked to a poll body official are dubious.

In an interview, Garcia said the documents from Erice which purportedly came from the Bahamas have “similar fonts” and appeared to be from a single person.

“Binago lang mga account numbers umano ng mga bangko. Kung talagang galing sa iba’t ibang bangko dapat magkakaiba, dapat may logo pa nga (The account numbers were just changed. If it really came from different banks, these should be different from each other and these should have logos),” he said.

Garcia said he would have these documents verified to determine the appropriate charges to be filed.

He said the claim of the former lawmaker that these were only sent by a source abroad is unbelievable.

“Falsification po malinaw na malinaw (It’s clear that this is falsification). Falsification of a public or even a private document. Mas mahaba kulong nyan sa (It carries a longer jail term under the) Revised Penal Code (RPC),” he added.

Under Article 172 of the RPC, falsification by a private individual and the use of falsified documents carry a penalty of up to six years imprisonment and a fine of not more than P5,000.

Garcia said he would prove these accounts are non-existent and these do not belong to him.

Meanwhile, the former lawmaker said he received the files from the Bahamas.

Erice said the files show that a Comelec official received US$1 million from South Korea allegedly from Miru, the poll body’s service provider for the automation system to be used for the 2025 midterm elections.

“At ito ay merong 14 foreign accounts ng isang Comelec official at sa ilan kasama ang kanyang maybahay as co-depositor. Andun din apat na properties na diumano pag-aari ng Comelec official na yun sa Singapore, Hong Kong, US, at Makati (These also have 14 foreign accounts of a Comelec official, and his wife was also named as a co-depositor. It also showed four properties allegedly owned by the Comelec official in Singapore, Hong Kong, US, and Makati City),” Erice said in a separate interview.

Erice said it is now up to Garcia on what to do with the information showed in these documents. 

“We have had nothing but a professional relationship with everyone in the Comelec, including the highly respectable Chairman George Garcia. Over the past year, we have worked to dutifully meet all requirements of the Terms of Reference, which have been crafted specifically for the needs of the Filipino people,” the Korean firm said

“We are steadfast in our commitment to the manufacturing of the new automated counting machines and the various election peripherals in order to ensure a smooth and timely 2025 midterm elections for the Philippines,” it added. 

In March, Comelec and Miru signed the P17.99-billion contract for the procurement of a new automated election system for the 2025 elections. The contract covered around 110,000 machines and peripherals including ballot boxes, laptops, and other printing requirements for the polls.

As part of checking the capability of Miru, Comelec commissioners travelled to South Korea and saw the demonstrations of the machines and systems.

Last week, SAGIP party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta last week  questioned the contract awarding amid the alleged existence of 49 offshore bank accounts which received money from South Korean banks