Poll body to probe bribery allegation

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections is conducting its own investigation into the allegations of bribery against former Comelec chief Andres Bautista.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia yesterday said he ordered the creation of a Chairman’s Task Force to look into reports that Bautista received a bribe from poll automation company Smartmatic.

Bautista was previously charged with money laundering and conspiracy by the United States Department of Homeland Security, although he has denied the allegations.

“We want to determine where these started. Are the accusations true? What evidence are presented in America? And who are the people involved in the allegations?” Garcia said partly in Filipino.

He pointed out that if the bidding for the procurement of the voting machines was rigged, then there must be other people involved in the anomaly as this could not be done by just one official alone.

“We are not saying that the allegations are true. But it would be better if the Comelec is ready. We need to determine who are involved. How many are they? If they are still connected with the Comelec and the extent of their participation,” Garcia said.

Given the investigation, Garcia stressed that the commission is not accusing anyone and is merely acting on diligence. He also said that the Comelec must take a step to show it is not trying to hide or cover up for any of those allegedly involved.

According to Garcia, he personally selected the members of the task force based on credibility and involvement in the previous process. He has also ordered the involved offices to produce the documents, contracts and other papers related to the 2016 procurement of the machines.

The task force will be reviewing the documents and is expected to come up with findings before the end of the year.