Comelec Strongly Denies Impeachment Allegations as 'Old Issues'
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a firm denial on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, regarding allegations contained in forthcoming impeachment complaints against its Chairman George Garcia and six commissioners. The poll body characterized the claims as recycled matters that have been thoroughly addressed previously.
Software Review and Source Code Clarification
The Comelec specifically denied allegations that the software version 3.5.0 in all 110,000 automated counting machines used during the May 12, 2025 elections bypassed mandatory source code review. According to the commission's statement, independent third-party certification entity Pro V&V confirmed they conducted a comprehensive source code review of version 3.5.0, which became the Final Trusted Build of the automated counting machines on March 29, 2025, at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time in Huntsville, Alabama, USA.
Data Center 3 and Server Operations
The commission also refuted claims about operating an unauthorized intermediary server designated "Data Center 3" through which all election results from the May 12, 2025 elections were allegedly routed before reaching the five accredited transparency servers. Comelec clarified that Data Center 3 is not a server or intermediary system but rather a facility housing five stand-alone and independent transparency servers that operate separately.
Historical Election Transmission Details
Regarding allegations about the May 9, 2022 elections, the Comelec denied that Chairman Garcia concealed the deployment of a single private IP address (192.168.0.2) for 20,300 vote-counting machine modems. The commission explained that the 20,300 modems used for transmitting election results in the 2022 National and Local Elections utilized a 4G network, underwent various testing protocols, passed certification requirements, and legitimately shared the same IP address as part of their operational configuration.
Campaign Finance Enforcement Defense
The poll body additionally rejected accusations of "systematic and selective enforcement of campaign finance laws" related to cases involving Senators Francis Escudero and Rodante Marcoleta. Comelec emphasized there is no truth to claims that the commission favors senators in campaign finance law implementation, stating that these particular cases underwent meticulous study and discussion across various Comelec departments and offices before final decisions were reached.
Impeachment Complaints Announced
The allegations originated from Project Damaskus Lawyers co-founders Eldrige Marvin Aceron and Sikini Labastilla, who announced on Monday their intention to file impeachment complaints against Chairman Garcia and Commissioners Nelson Celis, Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr., Aimee Ferolino, Rey Bulay, Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal, and Noli Pipo. The Comelec maintains these issues have been repeatedly clarified to the public's understanding and represent no new concerns about election administration integrity.
