Comelec files cyberlibel complaint vs bet over hacking videos
Credit to Author: Rhodina Villanueva| Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has filed a complaint of cyberlibel against a vice mayoralty candidate in Isabela Province for posting videos on Facebook purportedly proving that vote counting machines could be “manipulated” using a “backroom program.”
Comelec Chairman George Garcia led the filing of complaint for violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 against 36-year old Jeryll Harold Respicio who is running for vice mayor in Reina Mercedes town. Respicio is a lawyer and accountant.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco, who also heads the poll body’s Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan at Katarungan (KKK) sa Halalan, as well as officers from the Philippine National Police’s cybercrime unit joined Garcia in filing the complaint before the City Prosecutor’s Office in Manila yesterday.
Garcia accused Respicio of “training the mindset of the public that the elections can be manipulated.” The videos have since been removed.
The Comelec is also readying a disbarment case against Respicio, and is working on his disqualification as a candidate and on the cancellation of his license as an accountant by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).
Respicio’s posts included a 34-second video purportedly showing that voting machines could be manipulated when connected to the internet. — Mark Ernest Villeza