Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia on Thursday belied Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta’s accusations after the latter tagged him anew in an offshore bank account in the Cayman Islands.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Marcoleta said they tapped volunteers in New York to make bank transfers worth $100 to two offshore bank accounts allegedly owned by Garcia.

Marcoleta also claimed that receipts from Chase for Business indicated that the offshore bank accounts were under the name “George Erwin Mojica Garcia.”

Meanwhile, in an ambush interview, Garcia said the alleged New York bank account was supposedly a new account as he said “was not in the original white paper.”

“How do we know? Four numbers that were there in that account are missing and do not match any account number provided. That means, this is a new account,” Garcia said in Filipino.

Garcia added that he thinks the $100 was not sent by a friend or supporter, but rather by a consulting firm.

“Actually, it's a consulting firm and it's a public relations firm that sent the money. They sent from Chase Bank to New York Bank. Then the other one, from Chase Bank to Cayman Island,” Garcia argued.

“In the USA, you cannot put a Philippine address if you’re an account holder there. The address must be abroad. Because one of the things you look for in America when you open an account is what is called a Social Security Number,” he explained.

While he did not diclose where he resides, Garcia noted that his address in the New York account says that he lives in Makati, which he said to be fake.

Garcia maintained that he is willing to answer Marcoleta’s claims “face-to-face.”

“Hindi baleng mawala ako sa pwesto, wag lang masira ang pangalan ng Comelec (Doesn’t matter if I lose my position in Comelec, just don’t destroy the poll body’s name),” he added.

Marcoleta also earlier alleged that at least P1 billion worth of funds were transferred from South Korean-based banks to 49 offshore accounts supposedly linked to Garcia.

The lawmaker further claimed that Garcia holds numerous bank accounts across various banks in Singapore, North America, China, and the Caribbean.

On 8 July, Garcia asked the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the allegations.

Garcia also asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council to probe the allegations that he was accepting bribes from a South Korean firm through offshore banks.

Five local banks, including LandBank of the Philippines, Metrobank, and Union Bank, have confirmed that none of Garcia’s personal savings accounts allegedly opened and maintained in the said banks existed.