AFTER serving as Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner, veteran election lawyer Atty. George Erwin Garcia is back to serve the poll body, this time as its chairman.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. appointed Garcia as the new chairman of the Comelec. His appointment papers was dated July 22, 2022, and was released today, August 1, 2022, to the media.
He replaces former chairman Saidamen Pangarungan, who was bypassed in June by the Commission on Appointments.
He was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in March and served as the poll body’s most active official, particularly during the May 2022 national and local elections.
Garcia thanked the president for his trust and confidence, saying “it is a privilege to lead the constitutional commission that enables our right to suffrage” in a statement released to media.
He said that under his watch, the Comelec will seek meaningful reforms to help resolve issues determined by stakeholders and the voting public.
“These will include sturctural reforms that will strengthen good governance founded on accountability, transparency, and integrity,” he said.
He likewise assured the voting public that he will remain impartial and independent as head of the Comelec. “The will of the people will be the Supreme law.”