MANILA (2ND UPDATE) — Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia hurdled the Commission on Appointments' deliberation on his nomination, Wednesday, or months after failing to get the CA's approval for his appointment as one of the poll body's commissioners.

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Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who sits as chairman of the powerful CA, endorsed the approval of Garcia's nomination before the body.

During the hearing, Garcia highlighted the successes of the 2022 national and local elections held last May, during which he was still one of the commissioners.

"[It was] the most peaceful election so far in our history. Likewise the Comelec also received 83 percent trust rating from our people," he said.

Garcia’s confirmation was finalized Wednesday afternoon during the CA's plenary session.

In a statement, Garcia thanked the panel for approving his appointment.

“I take this opportunity to express my sincerest appreciations to the Commission on Appointments… I continue to be humbled by the trust, confidence and support bestowed upon this humble servant by our elected officials including those in the legislature,” he said.

Garcia vowed to “undertake institutional reforms in advocating for more responsive election laws, establishing better measures for greater transparency, and opening channels for better engagement with our citizenry.”

Last June, Garcia's confirmation was bypassed by the CA in order to allow then-incoming Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to pick his Comelec appointees.

Zubiri, who was still eyeing the Senate presidency in May after winning the elections, registered at that time his disapproval of the confirmation process for Garcia and other nominees of the Duterte administration, saying then incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. must be given the opportunity to appoint his own set of officials.

“It has nothing to do with the political intramurals. It's a matter of principle. It's a matter of courtesy to the new administration,” said Zubiri who ran under the ticket of Marcos.

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Two months later, Garcia was reappointed by Marcos at the Comelec, but this time as chairman.

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Garcia was Marcos' counsel in his poll protest against 2016 rival, former vice president Leni Robredo.

Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairperson Karlo Alexei Nograles, who suffered the same fate as Garcia last June, also bagged the confirmation of the powerful body.

Nograles, during his confirmation hearing on the same day, said that they are now looking for ways to regularize “job order” and “contracts of service” workers in the government.

This, following CSC commissioner Aileen Lizada’s earlier pronouncement that 150,000 of the government’s 1.8 million workers are under JO or COS status.

“It is the position of the Civil Service Commission to actually give more of these vacancies filled up,” Nograles said.

Both Garcia and Nograles will be serving their agencies until February 2, 2029.

— With a report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News

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