The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Tuesday dismissed the impeachment complaint filed against him, saying the erroneous allegations had been previously addressed. The complaint before the House of Representatives by lawyers Adrige Marvin Aceron and Sikini Labastilla is based on the Comelec's alleged use of a different source code in the automated counting machines (ACM), the presence of an unauthorized intermediary server, a single private IP address, and the systematic and selective implementation of campaign finance laws. "These issues or accusations are not new and have been clarified repeatedly by the Comelec in a manner understandable to the public," Garcia said, stressing that the Commission would again respond for the benefit of the Filipino nation. In a statement, Comelec maintained that the software used in the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) underwent proper review and certification. It said version 3.5.0 of the ACM source code was scrutinized during the Local Source Code Review and later certified by an independent international testing body. The poll body also rejected claims of an “intermediary server,” clarifying that the facility referred to as “Data Center 3” is not a server but a location housing five independent transparency servers operated by political parties, citizens’ arms, and media organizations. These servers, Comelec said, received election results directly from precinct-level machines. On the issue of modems sharing a single private IP address during the 2022 elections, Comelec said the configuration complied with technical standards and had no impact on the accuracy or integrity of transmitted results. "There is no legal requirement mandating unique IP addresses for each device," it pointed out. The Commission also denied allegations of bias in enforcing campaign finance laws, stressing that its decisions were grounded in existing laws and jurisprudence, as well as the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC).
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