BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO

The head of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), George Erwin Garcia, is at the center of a legal storm after a Boholano congressional candidate alleged that Garcia suggested a P300 million payment to secure victory in the 2025 midterm elections, according to a petition filed with the Supreme Court.

Atty. Jordan M. Pizarras, a candidate for the House of Representatives in Bohol’s First District, filed a petition for certiorari and mandamus on June 18, 2025 accusing Garcia and COMELEC of undermining the integrity of the May 12, 2025, elections.

The petition, copy of which was obtained by The Bohol Tribune, claims Garcia told Pizarras during a courtesy call on October 15, 2024, that he would need P300 million to win, a figure far exceeding the legal campaign spending limit of P900,000 for party-backed candidates like Pizarras.

Pizarras, running under AksyonDemokratiko, alleged that Garcia’s statement, coupled with irregularities in the automated election system (AES), suggests systemic bias favoring John Geesnell “Baba” Yap II, the proclaimed winner of the Bohol congressional race in the first district.

Yap, married to Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Cajes-Yap, was declared the victor with 130,661 votes, compared to Pizarras’ 41,841, according to official results quoted in the petition.

The petition cited a pre-election survey by Holy Name University showing a statistical tie among Pizarras, Yap, and Chatto, contrasting with official results where Yap won with 130,661 votes (45%), followed by Chatto with 105,187 (30.23%), Pizarras with 41,841 (14.41%), and Dela Serna with 1,282 (0.44%).

Pizarras claims the results mirror an earlier survey favoring Yap, suggesting pre-loaded outcomes.

Meanwhile, the petition cited COMELEC’s inaction on Pizarras’ requests, including the transfer of Bohol Provincial Election Supervisor Eliseo R.Z.B. Labaria and access to transmission logs.

The petition further seeks to nullify Yap’s proclamation, alleging that COMELEC’s use of an unauthorized intermediary server and an unverified software update from version 3.4.0 to 3.5.0 compromised the election’s transparency.

These anomalies cast serious doubt on the entire electoral process,” Pizarras said in the petition. “The use of an intermediary server and unauthorized source code threatens the sanctity of the vote.”

Pizarras also requests a manual recount of votes in Bohol’s First District and an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into potential cybercrimes under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Garcia, in a statement to media, has not directly addressed the P300 million allegation but denied any wrongdoing, reiterating COMELEC’s commitment to fair elections.

COMELEC spokesperson Rex Laudiangco told reporters that the commission would respond to the petition through legal channels and declined further comment, citing the ongoing case.

Pizarras’ petition paints a troubling picture of alleged massive electoral manipulation in Bohol and elsewhere in the country.

During the October 2024 meeting, Garcia reportedly asked Pizarras about the number of registered voters in Bohol’s First District—approximately 300,000—before making the P300 million remark.

Pizarras, a first-time candidate, said he was “speechless” and “literally fell off his seat” at the suggestion, which he interpreted as an indication of corruption within the electoral process.

The petition further alleged that Garcia’s ties to Yap’s family, particularly through former Congressman Roberto Cajes, Jane’s father, raise questions about impartiality.

Garcia, a former election lawyer, represented Cajes’ wife, former Trinidad, Bohol MayorJudithCajes, in a 2007 disqualification case and was seen socializing with Yap’s relatives during a May 30, 2025, fiesta in Talibon, Bohol, according to a now-deleted Facebook post cited in the petition.

Election watchdogs, including the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), are named as respondents, with Pizarras urging the court to compel their comments on the alleged irregularities.

Both groups, accredited by COMELEC as citizens’ arms, have yet to issue public statements on the petition.

Pizarras claims that the use of an intermediary server, housed in Data Center 3, violated legal requirements for direct transmission of election results to authorized servers, including those of PPCRV and NAMFREL.

The petition also cites over 15,000 precincts nationwide reporting faulty or duplicate files, further eroding public trust in the system.

Pizarras’ petition invokes the Supreme Court’s expanded judicial power under Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution to address grave abuse of discretion by government entities.

Petitioner argues that COMELEC’s actions, including the unauthorized software change and intermediary server, constitute cybercrimes.

Crimes under Republic Act No. 10175, potentially warrant an NBI investigation.

The petition pointed out that the AES, as critical infrastructure, demands stringent oversight, and any interference could have a “debilitating impact on national security.”

The Supreme Court has yet to schedule oral arguments or issue a ruling on Pizarras’ petition, which also names COMELEC commissioners, the Bohol Provincial Board of Canvassers, and other candidates, including incumbent Representative Edgar M. Chatto and independent MarybelleDela Serna, as respondents.

Pizarras’ legal team, Pizarras Flores Subia& Associates, argues that the case transcends individual candidacy, touching on “matters of transcendental importance” that affect every Filipino’s right to suffrage.

The petition cites former Chief Justice Reynato Puno’s call for courts to provide “effective judicial protection” against constitutional violations.