Comelec's Garcia: Postponement of debates due to 'confusion' unfortunate

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia said Sunday that it was unfortunate that the misunderstandings between their debate contractor and Sofitel Garden Plaza have led to the postponement of the supposed vice presidential and presidential townhall debates this weekend.

Garcia disclosed this to GMA News Online after Impact Hub Manila on Saturday said there was “miscommunication” between them and Sofitel prior to the initially scheduled debates on April 23 and 24.

“As end user, we are not a party to the agreements between our contractor and their supplier. So unfortunate that their supposed misunderstanding affected us and the conduct of the activity,” Garcia said.

The debates were postponed after it was reported on Thursday that Impact Hub Manila had yet to fully pay Sofitel, prompting Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc. (PPHI), Sofitel's owner, to threaten to pull out from their agreement.

PPHI, according to reports, had demanded payment after the checks Impact Hub had issued bounced.

In response, Garcia said that such matters were beyond the poll body's control, but he assured the public they would determine who was liable for the incident.

He also clarified that no Filipino people’s money was used for the event.

“As to why payment has not been made by the contractor to the hotel, this is really beyond us. However, we will go deeper into this. [It's] not enough that a solution is found but liabilities must be determined to prevent a repeat of the same in the future. The most important thing is not a single taxpayers' money came out from the coffer of the Commission,” he said.

Garcia said that the townhall debates have been rescheduled for April 30 and May 1.

GMA News Online further asked Garcia who among the candidates have confirmed their attendance to the rescheduled debates, but he is yet to respond as of posting.  —LBG, GMA News