Comelec chief Garcia accuses Smartmatic of hand in ‘mudslinging’ against him

MANILA, Philippines – Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia called a press conference on Thursday, August 8, to debunk the bribery allegations against him, which he traced to the country’s former election technology provider Smartmatic.

For months now, Garcia has been accused by former Caloocan 2nd District congressman Edgar Erice and Sagip Representative Rodante Marcoleta of receiving bribe money to favor South Korean poll tech firm Miru Systems in the bidding process for the Comelec’s procurement of new election machines.

“A foreign entity interfering in our election is a threat to our democracy,” Garcia said of Smartmatic. “These throwing of accusations, allegations, mudslinging have no place in our democracy.”

In response to Garcia’s accusations, Smartmatic said, “Our company is not involved nor is behind any of the claims made by Chairman Garcia against us.”

How Garcia traced the alleged smear campain to Smartmatic

Marcoleta had alleged that bank transfer receipts from US-based Chase for Business showed that there were at least two offshore bank accounts in Cayman Islands under Garcia’s name. He added that he had tapped volunteers in New York to send $100 to the accounts to validate the claims.

But equipped with a 31-page slide on Thursday, Garcia found a way to connect the offshore bank transactions that were attributed to him, to Smartmatic. His presentation is summarized below:

• One of the receipts that Marcoleta showed in his press conference bore the name Jaleo Consulting, LLC.
• According to the online directory for companies operating in Florida, Jaleo Consulting’s registered agent is a certain Jose Herrera in Miami, Florida.
• A search from the offshore leaks database of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) indicates that a certain Jose Antonia Herrera was a director of Albatross Technologies Corporation from 2008 to 2009.
• The address of Albatross Technologies Corporation, according to the ICIJ database, is Pine Lodge, #26 Pine Road, Beleville, St. Michael, Barbados.
• Another ICIJ database page shows that Smartmatic International Corporation shares the same address as Albatross Technologies Corporation.
• A company chart uploaded to the Financial Times website shows that Albatross Tech Corp. is a subsidiary of Smartmatic International Holding BV.
• The Linkedin page of a certain Jose A. Herrera Paez – which listed Smartmatic as a past employer – matches the Florida Bar website page of a Jose Antonio Herrera, whose address is similar to the Jose Herrera of Jaleo Consulting, LLC.

During Thursday’s press conference, Garcia also presented his travel records since 2022 – all in Asia – to refute allegations that he traveled to Europe, and North and Latin America to open offshore accounts.

He also showed screenshots of emails by Cayman National Bank and Scotia Bank confirming that he did not have accounts under his name in those banks.

Smartmatic says allegations ‘unfair’

Asked for a statement, Smartmatic said it was “saddened” by the accusations made by Garcia against the company.

“Such accusations are both unfair and unjust,” it said. “Our focus solely remains in prioritizing our legal efforts on the case filed in the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Any suggestion to the contrary is baseless and mere speculation.”

Smartmatic was the country’s tech supplier when the entire Philippines transitioned to automated polls in 2010. It became a staple in the country’s election scene until the 2022 elections.

Reputable election watchdogs have vouched for the overall credibility of automated elections since 2010, although incidents of faulty machines in every poll cycle have marred the voting experience of many Filipinos.

In November 2023, the Comelec under Garcia’s leadership disqualified Smartmatic from participating in the bidding process for 2025 election contracts.

The poll body said that Smartmatic’s involvement in an alleged 2016 bribery scheme with then-Comelec chief Andres Bautista posed an “imminent threat to the strength and integrity” of the Philippines’ democratic processes.

In January this year, Comelec picked Korean-based Miru Systems to replace Smartmatic for the 2025 elections, winning a contract worth P17.9 billion.

In April, the Supreme Court said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion when it disqualified Smartmatic from joining the bidding process. The High Court, however, did not nullify the contract awarded to Miru, as it was already impractical to do so, with only around a year left before the midterm elections. – Rappler.com