A legal watchdog said on Sunday, May 11, that the vote-buying incidents surge just a day before Filipinos head to the midterm polls.
In an interview with dZBB, Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) executive director Atty. Rona Ann Caritos said the illegal practice remains rampant, especially at the local level.
Caritos, noting their data, said it has recorded nearly 100 cases of vote-buying ahead of the May 13 national and local elections, with complaints pouring in from barangay halls, private homes, and last-minute campaign gatherings.
Of the reports it received, 70% were related to vote-buying while 30% involved abuse of state resources.
She said the number of incidents spiked Friday evening, just days before the vote, as candidates scrambled for support.
“Ang vote buying ay malaking problema. Ang (abuse) state resource malaking problema pero ang tao, ang pagtanggap nila sa state resources o paggamit ng resources ng gobyerno, parang advantage ng incumbent, na parte yan ng election,” Caritos said.
Caritos also flagged the participation of candidates in government aid distributions during the campaign period as a form of state resource abuse. She added that vote-buying continues even after election day.
“Parte pa rin ng pag monitor ng vote buying kahit pagkatapos ng election kasi hindi lang naman yan nangyayari bago at sa araw ng halalan. Nangyayari rin po yan pagkatapos,” Caritos said.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier said its anti-vote buying task force, Kontra Bigay, has received over 400 reports of alleged vote-buying, vote-selling, and misuse of government programs tied to Eleksyon 2025. (TCSP)
