Garcia on Erice’s inhibit call to Comelec commissioners: ‘Illogical’
FILE PHOTO: Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia and other poll body officials discuss the terms of reference of the Automated Election System that will be used in the 2025 National and Local Elections during a news briefing at the Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros, Manila, on May 4, 2024. INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the call of Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Egay Erice for all commissioners to inhibit from his disqualification case is “illogical.”
Erice filed Monday a motion for reconsideration (MR) on his disqualification case, asking the Comelec en banc to reverse the decision of the constitutional body’s second division blocking his reelection bid next year.
But for Garcia, filing the MR before them and then asking all Comelec commissioners to inhibit has no logic.
“Eh bakit siya nag-file ng MR kung magi-inhibit ang lahat ng commissioner? Ano pa ang purpose ng pagfa-file ng MR? Parang wala sa logic ‘yun, walang lohika ‘yun,” Garcia said in an ambush interview at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros District on Monday.
(So why did he file an MR if all commissioners will inhibit? What is the purpose of filing an MR? It seems out of logic. It lacks logic.)
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Comelec disqualifies Erice over false claims
Article continues after this advertisement“Kung magpa-file ka rin lang pala, kinikilala mo ang jurisdiction tapos ipapa-inhibit mo, eh sino ang magdedesisyon? Eh wala namang magdedesisyon sa komisyon maliban ‘yung mga miyembro ng en banc,” he also pointed out.
(If you already filed, you recognized the jurisdiction then you will ask all to inhibit, so who would decide? No one could decide in the commission but the members of the en banc.)
Nevertheless, Garcia noted, Erice’s MR will be raffled among the six commissioners of the Comelec en banc.
The Comelec Second Division disqualified Erice for violating provisions in the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), specifically Sec. 261 (z)(11) which prohibits the propagation of false and alarming information with the intent to disrupt the elections and cause confusion among voters.
READ: Erice, supporters hold demonstration against Comelec’s disqualification
His disqualification stemmed from the complaint filed by Raymond Salipot, who accused Erice of spreading “unverified claims” about the general conduct of the voting next year, “as he attacks the very machine and technology to be utilized in the 2025 NLE [national and local elections].”
In April, Erice filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the Comelec from implementing its P17.9 billion Automated Election System contract with Miru Systems Co., believing it is anomalous.
Erice said that like Garcia, all six Comelec commissioners must also inhibit in his disqualification case to have a “semblance of fairness” in the proceeding, especially since they are likewise named respondents in the petition he filed before the SC.
