Garcia won’t file ethics complaint vs Marcoleta

MANILA, Philippines —  Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia no longer intends to pursue an ethics complaint against Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta who accused him of having billions of pesos stashed in offshore accounts.

“I have been saying that I have no intention of filing a case. So ‘yung ginawa sa akin ay ipagpapasa-Diyos ko na lamang,” Garcia said in a statement.

Garcia said he also asked the Bayanihan group to no longer file disbarment and ethics complaints against Marcoleta.

“What is important is that my name remains untarnished and the Comelec’s integrity intact despite the demolition job against the commission,” Garcia said.

Last month, Garcia said he was mulling filing an ethics complaint against Marcoleta after the lawmaker alleged that P1 billion was deposited in his supposed offshore accounts during the Comelec’s procurement of the automated election system from South Korean firm Miru Systems.

Garcia has denied the allegations and requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Anti-Money Laundering Council to look into his alleged offshore accounts.

The poll chief also sent related documents to the US Department of Justice.

Garcia, however, said he would not withdraw his request for the NBI to look into the graft complaint filed against him by former Caloocan congressman Edgar Erice over the P18-billion contract awarded to Miru Systems.

Marcoleta and Erice alleged that Garcia’s offshore accounts received deposits from South Korean banks.

Meanwhile, Garcia said the machines to be used in printing 73 million ballots for the midterm elections are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

The Miru System will deliver one of the printing machines from Germany next week, he said.