NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
Lawyer Jordan M. Pizarras, a congressional candidate in Bohol’s First District, has filed a petition for certiorari and mandamus before the Supreme Court, seeking to nullify the proclamation of Rep.-elect John Geesnell “Baba” Yap II and demanding a manual recount of votes following what he describes as widespread electoral fraud, irregularities in vote transmission, and deeply compromising behavior by top Commission on Elections (COMELEC) officials.
In the 79-page petition, Pizarras alleged that the May 12, 2025 midterm elections were marred by illegal use of intermediary servers, unapproved source code updates, and manipulated vote counts—elements that he says compromised the integrity of the automated election system (AES).
Until press time, COMELEC and Rep. Yap have yet to comment on the allegations. The Supreme Court has not yet issued an order in response to the petition.
The petition is also anchored on an alarming conversation he claims to have had with COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia, who allegedly told him he would need ₱300 million to win in a district with only 300,000 registered voters.
“Pamilya naman tayo dito. Kailangan mo ng Three Hundred Million (P300,000,000.00) para manalo,” Chairman Garcia allegedly told Pizarras during a courtesy visit on October 15, 2024.
During an interview with top-rated Inyong Alagad of DYRD, Pizarras declined to comment when asked by anchorman Tibbs Bullecer on “for what was the P300 million.”
The petition seeks a status quo ante order to halt the effects of Yap’s proclamation and calls for the manual recount of votes across 15 municipalities and Tagbilaran City. Pizarras argues that COMELEC committed grave abuse of discretion when it altered the official election software version without public scrutiny, delayed source code reviews, and transmitted results using unauthorized intermediary servers.
The anomalies documented include discrepancies in transmission logs, inexplicably high ballot counts in multiple precincts—some exceeding the number of actual voters—and last-minute data “corrections” on the COMELEC website that Pizarras argues were made to match official voter turnout figures after irregularities had been exposed.
Statistical Improbabilities and Ballot Manipulations
The petition points to an example in Barangay Bingag, Dauis, where the Automated Counting Machine initially recorded 1,083 ballots cast despite only 855 voters turning out. Several similar instances are detailed, raising red flags about the integrity of the automated election process.
Survey data from Holy Name University showed a tight three-way race between Yap, Pizarras, and former Congressman Edgardo Chatto. However, Pizarras asserts that the final results did not reflect this and instead mirrored outdated survey projections—adding to suspicions of a rigged outcome.
Meanwhile, Pizarras also presented evidence of Chairman Garcia’s alleged close ties with Yap’s family, including social events in Bohol where the election chief was seen socializing with Yap’s relatives. These encounters, the petition claims, violate the principle of impartiality and further erode public trust.
Also highlighted is Garcia’s connection to Roberto Cajes, father-in-law of Yap and a former member of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), where Garcia used to appear as a lawyer.
Failure to Act and Suppression of Transparency
Despite repeated requests, COMELEC allegedly failed to act on Pizarras’ formal petition to transfer Bohol’s Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Eliseo Labaria, who had been in post since 2010. The Commission also ignored his demand to access raw transmission logs and voting data from telecom companies for verification purposes.
Pizarras emphasized that COMELEC’s inaction has left him no plain, speedy, or adequate remedy but to seek the Supreme Court’s intervention.
PRAYERS TO THE COURT
The petitioner asks the Supreme Court to:
* Issue a status quo ante order and temporary restraining order against the proclamation of Rep. Yap.
* Command a manual recount of votes in all precincts of Bohol’s First District.
* Declared as illegal COMELEC’s use of intermediary servers and unapproved source code.
* At its discretion, conduct the recount itself and order COMELEC to reconvene the Provincial Board of Canvassers to proclaim the rightful winner.
This case is poised to test the limits of judicial oversight on electoral automation and the role of transparency in upholding democratic elections.