By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
QUEZON CITY – A lawmaker has urged the House of Representatives conduct an investigation on the PHP18-billion contract entered into between the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Miru Technology System for the 2025 mid-term elections.
In a press conference in Seda Hotel, Assistant Majority Leader and SAGIP Party-List Rep. Rodante D. Marcoleta said “just like in the previous press conference last July 9, there was really a problem on the Miru technology, which up to now there are no evidence or proof that what the law mandates has not been complied with.”
“There were several offshore accounts named to a high ranking Comelec official, which we then did not name, but later in the day, that Comelec official revealed himself,” Marcoleta said.
The reason why Marcoleta did not identify the same Comelec official because he was still verifying such offshore bank accounts. However, AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) has not yet provided any means of verification for such offshore accounts.
The lawmaker said that they made, through a volunteer, two deposits in US$100 each to a certain two accounts and Marcoleta presented today what happened on those two accounts.
On the July 9, 2024 press conference, Comelec Chair Garcia said that he has been hearing about the offshore accounts which he termed as a “demolition job”, but Marcoleta today said, “how come that there were closing of accounts on June 28, 2024 in the local Singapore bank transfer, and on June 25, 2024, an international bank transfer was closed. All the closed bank accounts were transferred to a ‘foreign-sounding’ name.”
As of July 18, 2024, a local Hong Kong bank transfer was closed on June 27, 2024, another international bank transfer was closed on June 25, 2024 in the HSBC, and another international bank transfer was closed on July 11, 2024, which were all transferred to a “foreign-sounding” name.
On July 10, 2024, an international bank transfer was used to close the account in the UBS (Bahamas) Ltd.; July 2, 2024; July 8, 2024; July 10, 2024; July 11, 2024; July 15, 2024; were all terminated using “foreign-sounding” name.
Garcia said in a press conference that he does not have any foreign bank account (offshore) and he swore it to God.
Marcoleta said that their volunteer deposited US$100 to bank account ending 0550 named George Erwin Garcia with address in Perea Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. US$556.41 was the remaining balance, before the US$100 each was deposited in the account of George Garcia with a present balance of US$276.41 in a consumer bank Chase for Business platform of which, is authentic.
The two deposits affirmed the existence of the bank accounts of George Garcia. “I think Chairman George Garcia has many explanations to make today,” Marcoleta said.
The NBI and AMLC which Garcia ordered to conduct the verification of the offshore bank accounts, which Marcoleta said, did not seem to have conducted such an investigation.
Marcoleta admitted that he may have a hard time in ferreting out the truth.
“Kahit mahirap, magastos, ay pinili ko pong tahakin ang hakbang na iyon. Magtiyaga lang po tayo na maghintay nang kaunti dahil mahirap gawin ang mga bagay na ito,” he said.
“As of now, we have verified some of these (offshore bank accounts) and they are conclusive and Chairman Garcia has a lot of explanations to do,” he said.
Marcoleta added that the two documents from the Chase for Business were complete and authentic evidence that Chairman Garcia has many explanations to do. “These documents would not tell a lie,” he said.
“I am now putting out the documents proving that the accounts are active and in his name (Garcia). They are real. I think the burden has shifted to him already,” Marcoleta said.
“Our volunteer made deposits and the US$200.00 were debited in the accounts of Chairman Garcia to a multi-national financial institution, and it’s difficult to use their platform. I do not know if NBI and AMLC did something to what Garcia asked them to do,” he said.
“These (documents) cannot be invented. In the information we provided, we did not open an account for him (Garcia),” Marcoleta said.
The lawmaker is hoping that his other colleagues in the House of Representatives will initiate the filing of the impeachment complaint against Comelec Chair because he is now very much busy, especially with the resolution he has filed.
“But in this case, I was able to prove that the accounts in full ‘1076300010750’ primary savings account. Ending ‘8562’ with complete account number in Cayman Bank savings account no. ‘40000-012-58562’ full number of the account, which we have proven was existing in the name of Chairman Garcia.
Marcoleta could not link the offshore bank accounts to Miru, but because of the two applications for hybrid which did not happen elsewhere or even in other countries, which should have been successfully used in prior elections in other countries.
VRE and OMR were used in the Republic of Congo. The two technologies have not yet been proven to be reliable. The offshore accounts were initially disowned by Garcia, and later, proven to be existing.
“House impeachment is possible, and I cannot stop it and if they want to file an impeachment, it’s up to them. An impeachment would take a long time, hence, what I did was a House resolution to address our concerns,” Marcoleta said.
“Kasi po ang mga resolution natin ay hindi pwedeng pagsama-samahin dahil maraming issues,” he said.
An impeachment would not take only for a day. An impeachment process will start from the House of Representatives and it would not be easy such as the impeachment trials of former Presidents Joseph Ejercito Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He stressed that he can also file a complaint against the Comelec official before the Ombudsman, but he would rather leave it to others to do it.
“The process is bloody and very long, but we have to do it and dig deeper into the controversial offshore bank accounts. I have a verification team, but I don’t have to divulge it,” Marcoleta said.
The May 2025 mid-term national and local elections might have been finished, if an impeachment would take place against Chairman Garcia and it’s an option for him to resign from his post.
Marcoleta filed a resolution on July 31, 2024 in the House of Representatives to investigate Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair George Garcia and the Miru Technology System in connection with the PHP18-billion contract for the 2025 mid-term local and national elections.
In House Resolution No. 1827, introduced by Rep. Marcoleta, directing the appropriate committees of the House to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the alleged deposits made to several offshore bank accounts of a high-ranking Comelec official for possible violation of Republic Act No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices”, as well as RA No. 7080, as amended, and other applicable laws and regulations.
Marcoleta noted that Section 1 of Article XI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that a public office is a public trust, and that public officials must at all times “be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”
He cited Section 1 of RA No. 3019, otherwise known as the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act”, lays down the policy of the State to repress certain acts of public officers and private persons alike which may constitute as graft or corrupt practices.
