Comelec receives vote-buying reports vs. national bet, 3 party-lists for Eleksyon 2025

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has received vote-buying reports against a national candidate, and three party-list organizations seeking posts in Eleksyon 2025, a commissioner said Thursday.

Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr., chairperson of the Committee on Kontra-Bigay, said the poll body received 63 reports of illegal acts related to the upcoming May elections as of April 10.

Most of the complaints were reported from the National Capital Region, Region III, and Region IV-A.

“Karamihan sa reports na natatanggap namin, pangunahin is money. Pangalawa, rice, goods and groceries. Pangatlo, yung pag-aabuso ng social assistance programs,” said Maceda.

(Most of the reports are related to giving away money. There are also reports of rice, goods, and groceries being distributed and abuse on social assistance programs.)

“Kung deretsahan na ASR, number one has to do with AKAP, AICS, TUPAD, MAIC. The others are the use of government facilities and ang government employees using their influence to coerce voters to do one thing or another,” said Maceda.

(If ASR, most of it are about AKAP, AICS, TUPAD, and MAICS.  The others are the use of government facilities and government employees using their influence to coerce voters to do one thing or another.)

When asked if there are national candidates involved in the complaints, the commissioner answered:  “So far, ang natatanggap namin ay iisa. Hindi ko mabanggit kung sino, kung umabot din sa amin, we'll have to decide on it. Party-lists , tatlo, the rest, the bulk, really are local officials”.

(We received a complaint against one candidate so far. There are reports against three party-lists and the rest are local officials.)

According to Maceda, if the Committee on Kontra-Bigay determines there is sufficient evidence to the complaints, then they will decide if they will file a disqualification case or refer the report to the Comelec Law Department for the lodging of an election offense.

The committee may motu proprio file the disqualification petition.

Meanwhile, poll chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Comelec will coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) following the investigations on the alleged ASR cases for filing of possible violations.

“Were going to inform the DSWD of certain violations. Sinabi natin with he power to grant, comes the power to take away grants. Sana wag dumating sa punto na matatanggal ang exemptions dahil sa kagagawan nang iilan,” Garcia added.

(Were going to inform the DSWD of certain violations. Sinabi natin with he power to grant, comes the power to take away grants. We’re hoping it won’t come to a point we need to remove the exemption.)

In February, the Comelec said it will impose stricter measures to curb vote-buying, vote-selling and prevent the ASR for the May elections as it relaunched the committee mandated to address vote-buying and vote-selling. It also partnered with e-wallet applications such as GCash and Paymaya to address vote-buying via digital transactions.

ASR refers to the misuse of government resources, whether material, human, coercive, regulatory, budgetary, media-related, or legislative, for electoral advantage. This usually includes the use of government facilities and vehicles for campaign-related activity but Maceda said the Comelec will also presume ASR is committed if the disbursement of aid or subsidies came with campaign materials or with candidates and their family.

Also constituted as ASR are the use of government-funded media platforms to promote a candidate, the unjustified revocation or selective granting of government assistance during the campaign period and the sudden surge in hiring of job orders or contract-based orders when engaged in partisan electoral activities. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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