Pacquiao vouches for new Comelec commissioner Garcia

TARLAC CITY—Presidential candidate Senator Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday expressed confidence that election lawyer George Garcia would be impartial and rightly do his job as a newly appointed Comelec commissioner.

"Itong si George Garcia kasi mabuting tao naman 'yan, matinong tao 'yan. Naging lawyer ko rin 'yan. Dedicated sa trabaho niya... mapagkakatiwalaan," Pacquiao said at a media briefing at the Tarlac City Hall during his campaign to the city for Eleksyon 2022.

(George Garcia is a good and sensible man. He was also my lawyer. He is dedicated to his work ... he is trustworthy.)

Asked if he thought Comelec's decisions would be compromised as Garcia also handled election cases involving Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Pacquiao said he believed Garcia would spare Comelec of politics.

"Automatic lang na gagampanan niya 'yung trabaho niya as a lawyer. 'Yan iba naman trabaho niya as a commissioner. Poprotektahan naman niya 'yung Comelec, 'yung trabaho niya para hindi mahaluan ng politika,"

(He will automatically perform his job as a lawyer. That's another job for him as a commissioner. He will protect the Comelec  and his job so that it will not be tainted with politics.)

"Naniniwala naman ako sa kaniyang kakayahan, walang problema (I believe in his capability, there is no problem.)

Pacquiao said the appointments of Saidamen Balt Pangarungan as ad interim chairperson of the Comelec, and Garcia and Aimee Torrefranca-Neri as ad interim Comelec commissioners, are the prerogatives of the president.

"Prerogative naman ng executive, ng pangulo na mag-appoint ng tao sa posisyon na bakante. Importante naman na may tao para magawa 'yung trabaho sa loob ng mga natitirang ilang buwan. Sayang din naman 'yung magagawang trabaho sa time na 'yun,"

(It is the prerogative of the executive, the president to appoint a person to a vacant position. It is important to have someone to do the job for the remaining few months. It would be a waste if work will not be granted at at the remaining time.) —NB, GMA News