Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia on Thursday said he will no longer pursue an ethics complaint against SAGIP party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta amid the lawmaker’s accusations that he has offshore accounts.
“Ako naman talaga, nung una sinasabi ko na na wala naman talaga akong intensyon mag-file ng kaso… so ‘yung ginawa sa akin ay ipagpapasa-Diyos ko na lamang,” said Garcia in a press statement.
(I have been saying that I have no intention to file a case… I will leave it God what was done to me.)
“Kung pag-uusapan namin ang mga isyu patungkol sa makina, patungkol sa contractor, patungkol sa kontrata na pinasok ng Comelec, malaking bagay iyon sa kaalaman, sa kagalingan ng ating mamamayan,” he said.
(If we discuss the issues related to the machine, the contractor, and the contract entered into by Comelec, that’s a significant matter in terms of knowledge of our citizens.)
Garcia last month said he is mulling filing an ethics complaint against Marcoleta after the lawmaker alleged that the poll official’s supposed offshore accounts received P1 billion worth of deposits that coincided with the procurement of its automated election system (AES) from a South Korean firm.
According to Marcoleta, the accounts received deposits from South Korean banks.
Garcia has since denied the allegations and requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to conduct an investigation. He also sent related documents to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
Meanwhile, Garcia said he sent a letter to Bayanihan Para sa Karangalan at Kaunlaran ng mga Pilipino (BAYANIHAN) urging them to drop the ethics complaint and disbarment case it is eyeing to file against Marcoleta.
“Samahan niyo na lang kami sa paghahanda para sa halalan,” his letter reads.
(Join us in preparing for the election.)
Last month, ex-Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice also filed an anti-graft and corruption practice complaint against Garcia and other Comelec officials with the Office of the Ombudsman over the P18 billion contract awarded to South Korean firm Miru Systems.
Garcia expressed willingness to face the investigation.
“So be it. We are willing to defend ourselves and defend the contract that we entered,” he said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
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