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A group of religious, former officials, and civil society organizations on Thursday filed a complaint against Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia and other officials over their alleged interference with the software used in the 2025 Philippine elections.
Among the 16 complainants were lawyer Alex Lacson, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, former Comelec Commissioner Augusto Lagman, former Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines president Franklin Ysaac, and Isabela Vice Mayor Harold Respicio.
Aside from Garcia, six Comelec commissioners and three other people were named respondents.
They face 110,000 counts of system interference, representing the 110,000 ACMs used in the 2025 elections.
They were also charged with another 55,874,700 counts of system interference, representing the 55,874,700 votes they consolidated in Data Center 3.
The complainants said the respondents allegedly violated Paragraph 4, Section 4 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
This states that system interference is the “intentional alteration or reckless hindering or interference with the functioning of a computer or computer network, by inputting, transmitting, deleting, deteriorating, altering, or suppressing computer data or program, electronic document, or electronic data message, without right or authority.”
The complaint filed before the National Bureau of Investigation alleged that Comelec substituted the certified and audited software program in the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) used in the 2025 polls from version 3.4.0 to version 3.5.0.
The respondents also allegedly allowed the election results to pass through Data Center 3, which the complainants noted as an “illegal, unauthorized server.”
The complaint also flagged Comelec’s move to delete around 5 million votes of vote discrepancy without the participation of the five transparency groups, namely: Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections, the media, the dominant majority political party, and the dominant minority political party.
In a statement, Garcia said Comelec is open to any investigation surrounding the 2025 polls, noting that the agency observed an orderly, honest, transparent, peaceful, and credible election.
“Pinagkakatiwalaan po ng sambayanan ang NBI at ganun din po kami sa Komisyon. Lahat po ng mga binabanggit nila ay matagal at paulit-ulit na po naming nasagot at pinabulaanan,” Garcia said.
“Ang mga ganitong hindi pagsang-ayon o salungat ng paninindigan ay atin pong inaasahan bilang isang larawan ng malusog na demokrasya,” he added.
(The public trusts the NBI, and we at the Commission do as well. All the issues they’ve raised have long been addressed and repeatedly denied. We expect these kinds of disagreements or opposing views as a reflection of a healthy democracy.)
The national and local elections were held on May 12, 2025.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
