Garcia 'completely surprised' with appointment as Comelec chair

Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia on Thursday said he was  "completely surprised" with the decision of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to appoint him as the poll body chief.

"Hindi ko po ine-expect sapagkat wala namang nag-convey sa akin ng message, wala pong tumawag sa akin (I did not expect this appointment because no one told me about this, no one called me). I was in fact relaxing at that time that it was released," Garcia said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

He said he received a copy of the appointment paper from a source in the Commission on Appointments (CA).

"Hindi pa nga po galing mismo sa Palace 'yung copy ko (My copy did not directly come from the Palace), it came from a source from the Commission on Appointments and I was completely surprised by this development," he disclosed.

Earlier this week, Malacañang confirmed that Garcia was reappointed to the poll body but now as the Comelec chairperson.

In March, former President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Garcia as ad interim Comelec commissioner.

However, the Commission on Appointments in the 18th Congress bypassed his appointment, along with those of former Comelec chief Saidamen Pangarungan and former commissioner Aimee Torrefranca-Neri.

Garcia is a longtime election lawyer whose former clients include Marcos, former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Grace Poe and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, and former senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao.

Impartial

He reiterated that he will remain impartial in fulfilling his duties as the new Comelec chairman.

He said this is not the first time that this case happened in Comelec, citing the appointment of the late former Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes.

"Nangyari na po before si dating chairman Sixto Brillantes... He was the lawyer also of the one who appointed him and they questioned likewise 'yung kanyang integrity, credibility," Garcia noted.

"Pero napatunayan naman po ni dating  chairman Sixto Brillantes na puwede ma-separate ang pagiging lawyer namin at 'yung higher calling for public office," he added.

(This has happened before with former chairman Sixto Brillantes... He was the lawyer also of the one who appointed him and they questioned likewise his integrity and credibility. But he proved that we can separate our being an election lawyer and our higher calling for public office.)

Reforms

Meanwhile at a public briefing, Garcia also outlined some of the reforms that he plans to introduce in the poll body.

Apart from the structural reform which he mentioned on Wednesday, the new Comelec chair said he wants to prioritize transparency, inclusion of all election stakeholders, and improved fiscal management.

"Mas paiigtingin po natin yung tungkol sa issue ng transparency. Lahat ng ginagawa ng Comelec, lahat ng paghahanda namin, kahit pa 'yung mga procurement namin kinakailangan niyan e alam ng publiko, may participation ang lahat ng stakeholders, dapat meron sila laging pakialam at dapat painapakinggan namin sila sa lahat ng suwestyon nila, sa lahat ng mga komento," he said.

(We will intensify [our efforts] on the issue of transparency. All our activities, our preparations, our procurement, all these the public should know. All stakeholders should have participation and we should listen to their suggestions, comments.)

"Kinakailangan maging maayos din ang aming fiscal management hindi porque meron kaming fiscal autonomy ay kung saan na at papaano nalang namin ginagastos din po ang pera ng ating sambayanan," he added.

(We should also fix our fiscal management.)

Likewise, Garcia said they will ensure transparency in the lease or procurement of machines for the future electoral exercises.

Garcia said he wants a proper liquidation in the Comelec so they could hold accountable each employee and official of the body.

Under his watch, he mentioned that he will pursue "expeditious' resolution of cases and controversies.

At the same briefing, Garcia vowed to prosecute individuals who are involved in vote-buying.

"Kinakailangan hindi lang po sa salita dapat mapakita namin na kaya namin magpakulong ng mga taong gagawa ng issue ng vote-buying na 'yan,"  he said.

(It would not be just lip-service. We should show that those engaged in vote-buying will be put behind bars.)

Lastly, the Comelec chairman said they will pursue amendments and other laws related to the country's electoral system. —AOL/RSJ, GMA News