President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday has appointed Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Atty. Erwin Garcia as the new chairman of the poll body.
In a letter sent by Malacañang dated 22 July to the Commission on Appointments, Garcia was designated as ad interim chairman until 2 February 2029 following his predecessor Saidamen Pangarungan.
Prior to his appointment as chairman, he was appointed as the poll body’s ad interim Commissioner last March 2022, along with the then-Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Aimee Torrefranca-Neri.
His appointment was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments, along with Pangarungan and Neri in June.
To recall, then Senate Pro-Tempore Juan Miguel Zubiri sought a second postponement of the officials’ confirmation after floating the possibility of not confirming the nominations to allow Marcos “freehand” in appointing favorite bets to constitutional commissions.
Prior to his Comelec stint, Garcia represented Marcos in his electoral complaint following his unsuccessful 2016 vice presidential bid against then-Vice President Leni Robredo.