Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia holds a press conference to address allegations that he owns offshore bank accounts at the poll body’s headquarters in Intramuros, Manila, on Thursday, August 8, 2024. Comelec commissioners also joined Garcia in the press briefing. INQUIRER.net/DIANNE SAMPANG
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia stopped short of tagging Smartmatic as the one behind the supposed offshore bank accounts being linked to his name.
In a press conference on Thursday, the poll body chief did not explicitly point to Smartmatic but showed pieces of evidence connecting the company to the controversy.
Garcia said that based on their research, a foreign entity named Jaleo Consulting, LLC registered in Florida, USA, carried out the offshore bank transactions.
“Jaleo Consulting, LLC ang nagpadala. No’ng nakita ko po ‘yan, ako po ay kinilabutan sapagkat isa lang ang pumasok sa aking isip, bilang namumuno ng Comelec. This is direct intervention sa eleksyon ng Pilipinas ng isang foreign entity. Bawal na bawal po ‘yan,” Garcia said.
(Jaleo Consulting, LLC sent it. When I saw this, I got goosebumps because only one thing came to mind, being the one heading Comelec. This is a direct intervention in the elections of the Philippines by a foreign country. This is prohibited.)
He also said that a certain Jose A. Herrera, who owned Jaleo Consulting, was connected with Albatross Technologies Corporation.
“Ang may-ari po niyang company na ‘yan na Jaleo ay isang nagngangalang Jose A. Herrera. Hindi po siya Filipino,” Garcia said.
“Si Jose Herrera ay direktor din ng Albatross Technologies Corporation. So ibig sabihin, connected din pala siya dyan,” he added.
(Jose Herrera is also a director of Albatross Technologies Corporation. Meaning, he is also connected there.)
Garcia then disclosed that Albatross Technologies Corporation is located at No. 26 Pine Road, Belleville, St. Michael in Barbados – which is the same address as Smartmatic Services Corporation, based on a screenshot that the Comelec chief presented to the media.
“Ayaw kong ako ang maggawa ng conclusion. Parehas po ang kanilang address,” he said.
Smartmatic was Comelec’s former provider of vote-counting machines as the poll body disqualified the company from participating in the bidding for the 2025 midterm automated elections – “to preserve the integrity of the electoral process,” according to Garcia in November 2023.
READ: SC reverses Comelec ruling that barred Smartmatic from bidding
The Comelec chair further dug deep into who Jose Herrera is and his relation to Smartmatic.
“Coincidence lang ba ‘yan? Sana maipaliwanag sa atin kung bakit parehas ang address nila…. Pero hindi ho kami nag-settle do’n. Inalam ko pa kung sino ba talaga ‘yang Jose Herrera na ‘yan. Eh lawyer po pala ng ating dating provider… at ang pinakaimportante, father-in-law ng one of the founders and owners ng ating dating provider,” he said.
(Is this just a coincidence? I hope we can be enlightened on why their addresses are the same. But we didn’t settle there. I further dug deep into who Jose Herrera is. He is a lawyer of our previous provider… And most importantly, he is the father-in-law of one of the founders of our previous provider.)
Garcia likewise noted that there are a lot of companies, including Albatross Technologies Corporation, under one umbrella of Smartmatic.
Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta previously claimed that Garcia owned offshore bank accounts, and even presented to the media documents showing supposed bank transfers worth $100 to Garcia’s alleged two offshore bank accounts. Marcoleta said they tapped the help of volunteers in New York, USA to make the bank deposits.
But Garcia debunked Marcoleta’s claims, saying the foreign banks where the $100 was transferred were recently- opened accounts. According to the Comelec chair, bank transactions will push through even with wrong names as long as the account numbers are correct.
READ: Garcia: Bank accounts presented by Marcoleta ‘fake’, uses my name
Garcia said they asked two offshore banks – Cayman National Bank and Scotia Bank – on how to open accounts.
“Madaming requirements. Sa dalawang bangkong ‘yan, isa lang po ang sinabi nila: you must be personally present in any of the branch or branches na mag-oopen ka ng account,” he said in the press conference Thursday.
(There are a lot of requirements. These two banks just said one thing: you must be personally present in any of the branch or branches if you will open an account.)
The banks also replied in an email that they have no bank account under his name, according to Garcia.
“Ano’ng ibig sabihin? Hindi ka pala makakapag-open ng account online. Dapat pupunta ka mismo personally sa branch nila kahit pa Cayman niyan. Eh wala nga po akong travel sa Cayman, wala po akong visa sa kung ano…. Kinakailangan may dapat na pumunta, siguro may ibang taong pumunta kaya nakapag-open ng account,” he stressed.
(What does this mean? You can’t open an account online. You should personally go to their branch, even if it is Cayman but I haven’t been there. I also don’t have a visa… Someone has to go there, and maybe someone went there to open an account.)