COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) chair George Garcia has dismissed claims of potential election fraud in the upcoming May midterm elections, assuring Vice President Sara Duterte that such manipulations are highly improbable.
The assurance follows concerns raised by former President Rodrigo Duterte, relayed by the Vice President, regarding possible vote padding and shaving during the polls.
Vice President Duterte had previously recounted a conversation with her father, during a March 22nd visit to his detention center in The Hague, where he expressed apprehension about the integrity of the election process.
However, Garcia firmly refuted these concerns during a press interview at a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas event on Monday.
Garcia highlighted the robust verification mechanisms in place to ensure accurate vote counting and transmission. He emphasized that the public posting of election returns outside polling precincts, coupled with the printing of these returns, provides immediate transparency.
Furthermore, ballot images are made available to election watchers and citizens’ arms, offering additional layers of scrutiny.
The Comelec Chair also pointed to the random manual audit process as another safeguard against irregularities. This audit, along with the ability of citizens’ arms to capture QR codes containing precinct-level vote totals, provides multiple avenues for verification and counter-checking. Garcia concluded by stating that these concerns are baseless, citing the absence of similar large-scale irregularities in previous elections, including the 2010 polls. His statements aim to alleviate concerns and reassure the public about the reliability and integrity of the upcoming midterm elections
