Comelec’s Garcia claims 2022 polls ‘most successful election’ in PH history

FILE PHOTO: Comelec interim chair George Erwin Garcia. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — For the interim head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the national and local polls last May were the “most successful” as it was the “fastest” in the history of Philippine elections.

During a gathering for the last leg of its post-election assessment for the automated election system in General Santos City on Thursday, Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia cited the Pulse Asia survey showing the 82 percent trust rating for the poll body for the conduct of the last elections to support his claims of “the most successful poll ever held in the Philippines.”

“Na-restore ang trust ng mga mamamayan sa Comelec. Marunong naman palang bumilang. Tama naman palang mag-proclaim,” said Garcia, who was appointed as Comelec Commissioner by former President Rodrigo Duterte in March.

READ: Garcia appointment as Comelec commissioner is ‘wise decision’ — Palace

He also mentioned that poll-day-related violence declined significantly to just 23 incidents during the last elections compared to the 2016 poll’s 166 incidents and the 2019 poll’s 133.

Garcia thanked the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for this.

He then pointed out the quick counting of votes as “a major factor” that made the May 2022 elections “the most successful.” He even recounted that “in fact, by 10 o’clock, some presidential candidates was already calling, at the time, perhaps the winning candidate, to concede.”

“Pinakamabilis din. 8:20 ng gabi, may result na. Hindi pinapaniwalaan. Dinadaya na raw, kasi 8:20 may result. Paano nagkaganon? Bakit noong 2019, nabanggit nga ni Atty. Frances kanina, eh may glitch ng 7 hours? Eto, 8:20 may result. In fact po, mga bandang 10 o’clock, may ilang presidential candidates na ang tumatawag doon sa, at that time, perhaps the winning candidate, upang mag-concede… So ang ibig sabihin, pinaniwalaan po nila ‘yung result ng eleksyon.”

(It is the fastest. By 8:20 p.m., there was already a result. But some don’t believe it, they say there was cheating because there was already a result at 8:20 pm. Why would that be? Why, in 2019, there was a seven-hour glitch? Here, we already had a result at around 8:20 p.m. In fact, by 10 p.m., some presidential candidates was already calling, at the time, perhaps the winning candidate, to concede… So this means, they believed the result of the election.)

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. won the May 2022 presidential race.

Prior to being appointed to Comelec, Garcia served as a lawyer of then-vice presidential candidate Marcos Jr. in his poll protest against then-Vice President Leni Robredo. A veteran election lawyer, Garcia also had former presidential aspirants Grace Poe, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, and Francisco “Isko Moreno” as clients.

Last month, Marcos Jr. named Garcia as interim Comelec chair.

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