Comelec reviews Vico Sotto’s letter vs rival, findings out next week
From left: Election lawyer Atty. Romulo Macalintal, Commision on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. Sotto personally gave Garcia a copy of his letter regarding his concerns on the alleged links of election rival Sarah Discaya to election systems provider Miru. PHOTO FROM ATTY ROMY MACALINTAL
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is currently reviewing reelectionist Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto’s formal letter against a rival aspirant, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday.
Garcia said the matter raised by Sotto was already tackled during the poll body’s regular en banc session.
Sotto, in a letter he personally submitted to Garcia’s office on Monday, noted that Sarah Discaya is an owner and chief financial officer of St Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation, which, the mayor claimed, is an “alter-ego” of St. Timothy Construction Corporation.
READ: Sotto: Discaya firm’s past link to poll service provider a DQ ground
St Timothy was among the joint venture partners of Miru Systems Co. Ltd., which was contracted to price the automated election system for the 2025 midterm polls. St. Timothy Construction Corporation withdrew from the Miru Joint Venture earlier this month.
Comelec referred the matter to its law department, which is expected to submit its findings to the en banc next week.
“If everyone could recall, the Comelec allowed the withdrawal of St. Timothy but it is still subject to the further study by the law department of the criminal, civil, and administrative liability of the withdrawing joint venture partner and the remaining joint venture partners,” Garcia said in a press conference.
“So we will now include the letter of Mayor Vico [in our considerations],” he added.
Garcia noted that Comelec’s law department always acts swiftly and that their findings could be submitted before the regular en banc session next Wednesday.
However, he noted that the holiday season might affect their schedule.
“Let’s just give them a reasonable time, but again we will definitely expedite everything,” Garcia said.
In his letter, Sotto furthered that “such withdrawal may constitute an admission of the presence of a serious conflict of interest.”
“The candidacy of any individual who has ties with companies like St. Timothy—which had a joint venture with Miru—appears to be the appropriate instance where the Comelec may disqualify a candidate,” he added.
READ: Discaya camp shrugs off Sotto’s appeal to Comelec to take action vs her
However, Garcia stressed that Sotto’s letter could not yet be considered as a petition for disqualification.
“I asked Mayor Vico himself when we were talking as to the purpose of his letter. Is this for disqualification? But he said ‘No, no, no, we’d just like to inform you, the commission, of this fact that St. Gerrard may have a relationship with St. Timothy’,” Garcia said.
Even if they are already aware of the offenses that could lead to disqualification, Garcia explained that Comelec could not cancel the certificate of candidacy of a certain candidate motu proprio or on their own initiative.
Discaya’s camp shrugged off Sotto’s move, saying they would leave the decision to the Comelec.
