APRIL 27, 2022
Commissioner George Garcia in a media briefing on the first day of Local Absentee Voting held at the Comelec Session Hall, 8th floor, Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission in Elections (Comelec) should not be “onion-skinned” to criticisms, one of its commissioners said after the partial and unofficial result of the 2022 polls sparked protests.
“OK lang yan. Hindi pwedeng magiging onion-skinned ang Commission on Elections kaya nga kami humaharap at ine-explain natin,” Comelec Commissioner George Garcia told reporters at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
(That’s OK. The Commission on Elections should not be onion-skinned, that’s why we face criticisms, we explain.)
“What is important is, if there is an allegation, the Comelec must be able to explain because if we cannot be able to explain, something is wrong,” he added.
Garcia said protests are welcomed so long as it does not hinder the Comelec from doing its job, especially the canvassing of votes cast for the senatorial and party-list races.
“So yun mga pagkondena sa atin, yung pagkondena, yung pagtuligsa nila…this is welcomed. Dapat tanggap namin,” he said.
(So the condemnation and denunciation against us, this is welcomed. We should accept that.)
“Kasi importante ‘wag niyo lang kaming guguluhin sa ginagawa naming trabaho, especially sa canvassing. We deserve the 12 senators and the party-lists by June 30,” he added.
(Because what’s important is we are not disrupted in our job, especially in the canvassing. We deserve the 12 senators and the party lists by June 30.)
On Tuesday, around 400 people assembled near the main office of the Comelec in Intramuros as the canvassing of votes was ongoing.
Members of groups Gabriela, Selda, Piston, Kabataan Party-list, Anakpawis, and Kilusang Mayo Uno converged to protest the alleged unpreparedness of Comelec in the conduct of this year’s national and local elections and demand clean and honest polls.