Ex-lawmaker Erice seeks to hold Comelec’s Garcia in contempt

Comelec chairperson Garcia denies former Caloocan congressman Edgar Erice's allegation that he has violated the sub judice rule

MANILA, Philippines – Former Caloocan City representative Edgar Erice has filed a motion with the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to hold Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia in contempt.

In his motion filed with the High Court on Tuesday, July 16, Erice said Garcia should be held in contempt for allegedly violating the court’s sub judice rule, which prohibits petitioners in an ongoing case to discuss merits of their cases to avoid “prejudging the issue, influencing the court, or obstructing the administration of justice.”

Erice argued that Garcia allegedly violated the rule when the Comelec chairperson said that “the Commission on Elections may resort to manual 2025 national and local polls should the Supreme Court issue a ruling against Miru Systems,” among other statements.

“Chairman Garcia’s [statement] therefore, serves no other purpose but to sway public perception in an attempt to influence this Court to rule in favor of the Comelec, all before the arguments of all parties can even be heard,” ehe said in his petition.

In a message to reporters, Garcia denied the allegations against him: “Look who’s talking. Ako, may dahilan kung bakit nagsasalita, dahil kailangan ng tao ng update sa eleksyon mula sa Comelec. Sino ba ang kabi-kabila ang presscon? Sino ba ang petitioner sa kaso sa SC?”

(Look who’s talking. I have a reason to speak because people need election updates from the Comelec. Who is having press conferences left and right? Who is the petitioner in the SC case?)

On April 18, Erice filed a petition with the SC, urging the High Court to void the Comelec resolution that awarded a multibillion-peso contract to the new election tech provider, Korean firm Miru Systems. Erice, in his petition, cited the firm’s supposed blemished reputation overseas. Miru replaced the long-time provider, Smartmatic.

In May, the High Court ordered the Comelec and Miru to reply to the petition filed by Erice. The SC, however, did not grant Erice’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the Comelec from enforcing its contract with the Korean firm.

Explaining why he filed a petition, Erice said his case has nothing to do with Smartmatic and that as a former lawmaker, election-related issues have become one of his passions because of the past legislative inquiries he had done. – Rappler.com