Comelec commish George Garcia inhibits from cases of past clients

Newly appointed Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia has formally inhibited himself from election cases involving his past clients, including presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

He has withdrawn from approximately 300 cases at the Comelec, as well as cases before the Supreme Court and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Garcia stated in a letter to the Comelec clerk that the public's confidence in the commission should not be eroded by any semblance of bias or prejudice.

While he lawyered for Marcos in the 2016 vice-presidential race, Garcia did not represent Marcos Jr. in any of his cases for the 2022 elections.

For the 2022 polls, before his appointment, Garcia represented presidential candidate Isko Moreno.

Garcia is inhibiting from six individual petitions seeking to block Marcos Jr.'s candidacy, most of which cite Marcos Jr.'s tax conviction in the 1990s as basis for disqualification.

Throughout his career, Garcia's other past clients included senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson, and he represented Grace Poe during her disqualification case in 2016.