• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria has joined the 81 other Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials and lawyers who have expressed support for Chairman George Erwin Garcia amid corruption allegations against him.
In a statement, the Provincial Election Supervisors Association of the Philippines (PESAP) Inc. said that “as things unfolded, it is not difficult to see that the allegations against our honorable chairman were baseless and unfounded.”
It added that the accusers themselves admitted that their so-called evidence came from unknown sources and unverified.
“Yet, as they continue to insist, we sense that the end game of all of this was not just to malign the reputation of the honorable chairman, but to sabotage the preparations of the Comelec for an automated elections in May 2025 as well,” the PESAP Inc. said.
They added: “For this, we applaud our honorable chairman for remaining steadfast in his pursuit for justice and the truth and as he continuous to protect the Comelec and the people.”
In a press conference in Manila on Wednesday (July 17), Comelec commissioners also expressed their support for Garcia amid allegations of bribery in connection with the awarding of the automated election contract to a joint venture, including Korean firm Miru.
Garcia, who strongly debunked allegations of owning any foreign bank account or property, said that he plans to file a case against his detractors who allege that a Comelec official accepted a bribe to favor a poll tech provider.
He said that they are now compiling all statements related to what they called a “demolition job” and are waiting for results from the National Bureau of Investigation’s own probe. | GB
