Marcos Reappoints Ex-Commissioner George Garcia to Comelec

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has reappointed election lawyer George Erwin Garcia to the Commission on Elections, this time as the poll body's chairman.

Garcia, who used to be Marcos' lawyer in his electoral protest against former Vice President Leni Robredo, showed to reporters his appointment letter from Malacañang addressed to the Commission on Appointments, with his term ending on Feb. 2, 2029.

Garcia previously served as a Comelec commissioner but was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments at the end of the 18th Congress. With the bicameral body merely bypassing him, Garcia could be reappointed by Marcos.

Prior to the last CA hearing before the adjournment of session, then-Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri suggested letting the incoming Marcos administration choose its own nominees. Aside from Garcia, former Comelec chair Saidamen Pangarungan was also bypassed.

Garcia was a commissioner at the Comelec when Marcos ran for president in the May 9 elections. During his stay in the poll body, Garcia inhibited himself from all cases involving Marcos.

The Comelec had dismissed many of the petitions that sought to block Marcos' presidential bid. Only one case remains pending with the poll body.