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- EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech and Digital News
TAGUIC CITY (SDN) — If there are doubts on the inaugural parliamentary polls happening in the Bangsamoro region, at least one person who carries much weight has none.
And that’s no other than George Erwin Garcia, the beleaguered chair of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
As the poll body revs up its preparation for the national, local, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) political contests in May 2025, Garcia’s belief has not wavered despite facing some obstacles.
SDN — SciTech & Digital News asked the top Comelec official about the scheduled — once postponed — first parliamentary contest in the BARMM, considering there’s a pending petition in the Supreme Court put up by some Moro personalities. They are questioning the constitutionality of at least parts of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC).
If the Supreme Court makes a ruling against the BEC and affects its constitutionality, observers said there might be no framework to hold a parliamentary political exercise in the BARMM, at least for May 2025.
Garcia was at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Main Office in Bicutan, Taguig City, recently, as TESDA and Comelec signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
Garcia and TESDA Secretary Suharto T. Mangudadatu signed the MOA on July 10 to promote voter education through the use of pre-taped seminars and orientations on the process of registration and requirements needed, including other crucial information voters need before they exercise their right of suffrage.
“Sure na sure na matutuloy iyon sa Bangsamoro parliamentary election. At ako, bilang pinuno ng Commission, kinakabahan po ako dahil kauna-unahang election ng parliament,” the Comelec chief assured.
“Para sa akin naman po, so long as ang lahat, katulad po ng BARMM, katulad ng local government units, mga governors ay nandyan at tumutulong po sa atin, at cause-oriented groups and interest groups. Sa aking palagay po ay mapagtatagumpayan natin ang halalan sa Bangsamoro.”
(Translation: It’s very sure the Bangsamoro parliamentary election will push through. And I, as head of the Commission, I am nervous because it is the first ever election on the parliament. And for me, as long as everybody is there, like the BARMM, like the local government units (LGUs), the governors are there and helping us, cause-oriented groups and interest groups. In my opinion we can succeed the election in Bangsamoro.)
In relation with the forthcoming political exercise, Garcia sent a message to the people of BARMM.
“Sa mga kababayan po natin sa BARMM, huwag po kayong mag-alaala, tulungan lang po ninyo ang Commission. Sana po mag-participate tayo sa election, sana po ibigay nyo sa amin ang tiwala ninyo. Gagawin po natin tama ang halalal, gagawin po natin na katanggap-tanggap ang halalan at may integridad at maipagmamalaki natin na hindi lang sa buong bansa kundi sa buong mundo na kaya ng Filipino, kaya ng mga Bangsamoro.”
(Translation: To our countrymen in BARM, don’t worry. Just help the Commission. We hope you will participate in the election, hopefully you’ll give us your trust. We will make the election right, we will make it acceptable with integrity and we can be proud of not only in the entire country but in the whole world that Filipinos can, the Bangsamoro people can.)
What you should know about Miru Systems’ voting machines: https://youtu.be/IU628ts91zA?si=BTwC5U0C81ICSDyU
Garcia monitoring those behind campaign against him
It can be recalled the parliamentary election was supposed to be held in May 2022, the supposed final year of the BARMM transition (2019-2022). But the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic that started in China in 2019 stymied the Bangsamoro government’s establishment and implementation of governance structures, priority pieces of legislation, programs, and services. Thus, the transition was extended for another three years (2022-2025), also re-setting the parliamentary polls.
The Bangsamoro political exercise is for the 80 regular Members of Parliament (MPs), from which a chief minister is to be elected from their ranks. Presently, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chair Ahod Balawag “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim is on his 5th year as interim chief minister.
Chief of the obstacles concerns what might be efforts to undo the nearly Php18-billion lease contract between Comelec and Miru Systems Co. Ltd. (Miru Systems) of South Korea to provide an automated election system, covering hardware and software.
AT TESDA, the Commission conducted a demonstration of two different Miru Systems voting machines, with Mangudadatu one of the mock voters.
After experiencing the ease of casting ballots through the automated voting machines and verified the correctness of his votes, he said, “Perfect!”
The “lease” is starkly different from what previous Comelec administrations did, buying an automated election system — hardware and software used in past automated political exercises.
Garcia said the lease, instead of buying, saves the government from maintenance, storage, and others from using the Miru Systems machines for the May 2025 elections. Some congressmen, without verification, have made allegations about a certain poll body official with many bank accounts here and abroad.
Though Garcia was not named, he felt alluded to. Thus, he denied the allegations, and signed waiver that allows the opening of the supposed bank accounts being attributed to a Comelec official.
He said he wants the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLAC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to uncover those behind the campaign against him. The Comelec official already had one of the bank accounts verified at the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) which, he said, denied its existence.
Asked why the campaign, Garcia said it has to do with a case in the Supreme Court that questions the contract with Miru Systems. They want to influence the result of the case, he claimed.
“If is very easy to spread disinformation. It is all planned. What’s next after I am destroyed, they will turn to the individual Comelec members and file impeachment case against us all,” said Garcia. “I am monitoring all their action, including those behind it.”
Still at the TESDA event, the Comelec official emphasized that included in the lease contract with Miru Systems are the machines (110,000 pieces), batteries, 104 ballot boxes, laptops for transmission and consolidation, training of 7,000 technicians, training of 1,000,000 teachers nationwide, construction of 82 repair hubs in every province, printing of ballots and ballot papers, and printers. (/)