George Erwin Mojica Garcia is a Filipino lawyer serving as the chairperson of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) since July 22,2022,being appointed by President Bongbong Marcos. He formerly served as a commissioner of the Commission on Elections from March 8,2022,to June 1,2022,being appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte for a seven-year term. Garcia was one of the commissioners who oversaw the May 2022 Philippine general election. He was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments in June 2022. After Marcos became president,Garcia was appointed as chairperson,and was then confirmed by the Commission on Appointments in September.
Prior to becoming a COMELEC official,Garcia was an election lawyer representing Marcos,Panfilo Lacson and Grace Poe,among others.[2]
In 2010,Garcia counseled for Bong Revilla,who explained that since Revilla,who has screen name "Ramon 'Bong' Revilla Jr.",had legally changed his surname to "Bong Revilla" in 2009,which led to his name would appear on the top part of the ballot,and not near the end as expected.[3] In 2013,Garcia was the lawyer of E. R. Ejercito when he was dismissed as governor of Laguna after the COMELEC ruled him to have overspent in the 2013 Laguna local elections.[4]
In order to keep their positions,appointees have to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. However,with the election results apparent,the commission saw it prudent to hold off on acting on Duterte's appointees,and postponed confirmation hearings on Garcia,among others,when it met on late May 2025.[13] The commission did not confirm Garcia's appointment on its June 1 hearings.[14]
As chairperson
Garcia (wearing black jacket),at the 2022 Baliwag cityhood plebiscite
On July 22,President Bongbong Marcos appointed Garcia as COMELEC chairman,replacing Saidamen Pangarungan,whom the Commission on Appointments also bypassed along with Garcia in June.[15] The Commission on Appointments confirmed Garcia on September. Garcia will serve a term that will end on February 2,2029. Just as when he was commissioner,Garcia said that he will recuse from cases involving his former clients.[16]
In the controversy if the results of the 2022 elections matched what was voted upon,Garcia volunteered that they "will open the ballot boxes. We can count the ballots one by one,and we’ll find out if they match the election returns. If they don’t match,then their accusation is correct. But if they match,it means the results are correct."[19] For the 2025 Philippine general election,Garcia said that the COMELEC will prohibit premature campaigning,create precincts for people with special needs,increase the honoraria of election-day workers,and will publish expense reports of candidates.[20]
In July 2024,SAGIP House representative Rodante Marcoleta insinuated a certain COMELEC official received bribes to approve Miru Systems as the technological provider of the 2025 Philippine general election.[21] Garcia waived his rights under the bank secrecy law,releasing a document from Land Bank certifying that one of the supposed bank accounts he used in the alleged bribery scheme was “nonexistent.”[22] Garcia later said that two Cayman Islands banks denied the existence bank accounts attributable to him.[23] Later on,former House representative Edgar Erice sued Garcia for corruption,over the 18 billion-peso contract the COMELEC awarded to Miru Systems.[24]
After the 2025 elections,Garcia faced a disbarment case,filed by losing candidate Jordan Pizarras,who alleged Garcia demanded 300 million pesos in exchange for him winning.[25]
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