The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed the allegations made in the impending impeachment complaint against its officials as "not new" and have been clarified multiple times to the public, standing by the integrity in the conduct of the past elections.

"Ang mga isyu o paratang na ito ay hindi na bago at paulit-ulit nang binigyang-linaw ng Comelec sa paraang maiintindihan ng publiko (These issues or allegations are not new and have already been repeatedly clarified by the Commission on Elections in a manner understandable to the public)," Comelec said in a detailed statement Monday night, March 30.

The complaint is set to be filed before the House of Representatives against its chairman, George Erwin Garcia and its six commissioners by lawyers Eldridge Marvin B. Aceron and Sikini S. Labastilla, who raised several issues related to the conduct of automated elections, including the alleged use of an unreviewed source code, the supposed existence of an unauthorized intermediary server, concerns over the use of a single private IP address in vote transmission, and claims of selective enforcement of campaign finance laws.

The poll body rejected the allegations and maintained that all procedures during the recent elections complied with legal and technical standards.

On the first allegation, Comelec denied that the software version deployed in the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) during the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections bypassed the required source code review. The poll body explained that the final version of the ACM source code, version 3.5.0, underwent a thorough and lawful process, beginning with a Local Source Code Review (LSCR) conducted by representatives of accredited citizens’ arms, IT groups, and independent experts.

The same version was also audited and certified by Pro V&V, an independent international certification entity based in Alabama, United States. COMELEC noted that Pro V&V itself clarified that the reviewed version was 3.5.0, which became the Final Trusted Build of the ACM on March 29, 2025, in Huntsville, Alabama. As such, the poll body maintained that the software used during the elections fully complied with the requirements of the law.

Addressing the second allegation, Comelec refuted claims that an unauthorized intermediary server—referred to as “Data Center 3” or DC3—was used during the 2025 elections. It clarified that DC3 is not a server but a facility housing five independent and stand-alone transparency servers operated by key election stakeholders.

These include servers of the dominant majority party Lakas-CMD, dominant minority party Nacionalista Party, accredited citizens’ arms such as the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), as well as media organizations. The facility is located on the 26th floor of Circuit Corporate Center Tower 2 in Ayala Circuit, Makati City.

The poll body emphasized that personnel from these organizations were present at DC3 to monitor and receive election results transmitted directly from ACMs in clustered precincts and from certificates of canvass issued by boards of canvassers. It stressed that all transparency servers functioned independently as designed and that stakeholders who participated in inspections and operations were aware of the system’s configuration.

It further clarified that Data Center 1 and Data Center 2, like DC3, are also facilities rather than servers, housing the COMELEC central server and backup server, respectively. It reiterated that none of these facilities acted as an intermediary server receiving election results.

On the third issue, COMELEC addressed concerns over the use of a single private IP address—192.168.0.2—across 20,300 vote-counting machine (VCM) modems during the 2022 National and Local Elections. It explained that the modems operated on a 4G network, underwent various tests, passed certification, and were configured to use the same IP address.

According to COMELEC, the uniform IP address does not affect the accuracy, legitimacy, or functionality of election result transmission. It also pointed out that there is no legal requirement mandating unique or identical IP addresses for modems, as long as these pass testing and certification processes.

The commission added that changing each modem’s IP address individually would have taken several months and would have been impractical, potentially delaying other election-related activities.

Regarding the issue of the manual recount of ballots in 2022, COMELEC said it had been prepared to conduct the process. However, the recount was halted due to a petition filed by Eliseo Rio Jr. and others seeking to declare a failure of elections nationwide and to annul the election results.

On the fourth allegation, Comelec denied claims of systematic and selective enforcement of campaign finance laws favoring senators allied with the current administration. It maintained that all its decisions are anchored on election laws, implementing rules, and relevant rulings of the Supreme Court.

"Walang bahid ng anumang katotohanan ang katagang palagiang nagbibigay-pabor sa mga Senador ang Comelec patungkol sa pagpapatupad ng mga batas kaugnay ng campaign finance (There is no truth to accusations that Comelec consistently favors senators in campaign finance cases)," it said.

It cited the cases involving Senators Francis "Chiz" Escudero and Rodante Marcoleta, explaining that these underwent rigorous review and deliberation across various COMELEC departments before decisions were made.

Comelec also disclosed that Chairman Garcia inhibited himself from participating in the decisions on these cases to avoid any potential conflict of interest and to ensure the integrity of the investigation process. It added that these cases are not yet final and may still be elevated to the Supreme Court.

Comelec said it would face the matter “with courage and dignity” on behalf of the Filipino people.

It reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling its constitutional mandate to conduct elections that are free, fair, honest, orderly, credible, and transparent.