Garcia inhibits self from Escudero donation probe

MANILA, Philippines — To avoid casting doubts on the ongoing investigation into allegations that former Senate president Francis Escudero accepted prohibited campaign donations in the 2022 polls, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said he would inhibit himself from the probe.

“We will inhibit from the case of Escudero because I previously served as his lawyer,” Garcia told reporters in Filipino yesterday.

“We will do that once it becomes official and he is formally required to respond to the invitation to submit an affidavit,” he added.

Garcia said the Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD) will ask Escudero to explain why he should not face an election offense for receiving a donation from a government contractor.

The Comelec will also seek Escudero’s explanation soon after Centerways Construction and Development Corporation’s Lawrence Lubiano gives his own explanation on his admission that he donated P30 million to Escudero’s campaign.

Lubiano failed to appear before the Comelec at the start of yesterday’s hearing into the prohibited donation.

The Comelec PFAD had to reset the scheduled hearing because Lubiano has yet to receive the formal summons from the poll body.

Aside from Escudero, Garcia admitted that other candidates may also have received campaign donations from government contractors who had been his clients in the past.

“Do not worry. When the time comes for the commission to decide whether they should be charged or not, I will not participate… that is what I do especially if it involves former clients I once served,” Garcia said in a radio interview.

He said the Comelec will file the appropriate cases against those who will be found guilty of violating election laws.

Garcia said the Comelec intends to complete the investigation and determine whether candidates accepted prohibited campaign donations by the end of the month.

According to the Comelec chief, the agency is still waiting for certification from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the list of government contractors who extended donations to candidates.

The Comelec will issue summons to contractors once the DPWH certification is received, and after completing its investigation, the PFAD will submit its findings to the Law Department, which will then recommend the filing of a case if evidence warrants.