SC petitioner wants Comelec chair Garcia disbarred over alleged poll irregularities

June 19, 2025 , 08:02 AM

By Noemi Jaradal

(June 19, 2025) — A disbarment case has been filed before the Supreme Court against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Atty. George Erwin M. Garcia.

In a petition for certiorari and mandamus with a plea for injunctive relief, petitioner Atty. Jordan M. Pizarras accused Garcia and other officials of grave abuse of discretion, illegal election practices, and ethical violations in connection with the 2025 national and local elections.

Atty. Pizarras is a defeated congressional candidate in the First District of Bohol.

The petition urged the High Court to nullify the proclamation of his rival, Rep. John Geesnell “Baba” Yap II, citing “irregularities” that allegedly compromised the integrity of the May 12 elections.

The petition also called on the Court to order a manual recount, preserve all election equipment and ballots, and compel the Comelec to explain the unauthorized use of election software and server rerouting.

Pizarras further sought the disbarment of Garcia and several other Comelec officials, and asked the National Bureau of Investigation to probe possible violations of the Anti-Cybercrime Law.

KEY ALLEGATIONS
Unauthorized software use	The Comelec allegedly used version 3.5.0 of the Automated Counting Machine (ACM) software, despite only version 3.4.0 being certified and reviewed in accordance with Republic Act No. 8436.
Illegal server routing	Pizarras claimed that election returns were routed through an unauthorized server, referred to as “Data Center 3,” altering the transparency chain and violating electoral law.
Conflict of interest and political ties	The petition pointed to Garcia’s alleged close ties with the Yap-Cajes political family in Bohol. These included public appearances in local events hosted by the family and connections through former Congressman Roberto Cajes and Revsee Escobedo, a former DepEd official who signed a questionable ballot printing agreement with Comelec.
Ballot overprinting	The petition noted that 73 million ballots were printed for the elections, despite the voter registry reflecting only 68.4 million voters — a discrepancy the petitioner labeled as suspicious.
Alleged bribery demand	Pizarras claimed that Garcia told him he would need to produce ₱300 million to win the election — a statement the petitioner interpreted as evidence of unethical conduct and undue influence.

The petition asked the Court to issue a Status Quo Ante Order preserving election conditions as of May 12, 2025, to halt any tampering or alteration of ballots and ACMs.

It also requested the Supreme Court to compel Comelec to vacate Yap’s proclamation and to supervise a manual recount of votes across all municipalities in Bohol’s first district.

Pizarras further prayed for the initiation of disbarment and disciplinary proceedings against Garcia and other Comelec officials under Rule 139-B of the Rules of Court.

‘BETTER IN COURT THAN FACEBOOK’

Comelec Chairman Garcia confirmed the existence of the petition in a radio interview with Ted Failon and DJ Chacha, stating that he preferred the matter be handled through legal means rather than via public speculation online.

“Although I’m somewhat glad they filed the case, rather than discussing these matters solely on social media,” Garcia said.

He added that the Comelec would refrain from further comment, as previous responses to such claims only led to new rounds of unfounded accusations.

“At this point, we will no longer dignify it with a response. If we answer now, they’ll just throw another issue next time—it will never end,” Garcia said.

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