29 vote buying cases currently pending at Comelec law dept — Garcia

There are 29 cases related to vote buying in the 2022 national and local elections that are pending at the law department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), poll body chairperson George Garcia said Thursday.

In an interview with the media after the Comelec budget hearing, Garcia said six others were filed at different prosecution offices nationwide.

“Meron po tayong 29 na kaso naka pending sa Comelec Law Department. Meron po tayong anim na kaso na naka file po sa iba’t ibang prosecutor office ng anim na lugar sa iba’t ibang parte ng Pilipinas,” Garcia said.

[We have 29 pending cases at the Comelec Law Department. We have six others filed at different prosecutor offices in different parts of the country.]

Garcia said some of the cases involved national and provincial candidates.

“Meron pong national doon, meron pong mga provincial governor [there is a national candidate there and a provincial governor],” he said.

According to Garcia, the Comelec also recently disqualified a governor and a city mayor due to the giving of financial assistance.

“Recently po hindi lamang po inimbestigahan kundi dinisqualify ng Comelec division ang isang gobernador at isang city mayor. Hindi man ito directly vote buying pero ito’y patungkol sa pag gamit ng kaban ng bayan doon sa tinatawag na social services, pamimigay ng financial assistance,” he said.

[But recently, we did not just investigate but the Comelec division also disqualified a governor and a city mayor. It may not be directly vote buying but it is related to the use of the people’s money in giving financial assistance.]

The commissioner said the poll body’s Task Force Kontra Bigay received 1,000 complaints for the 2022 elections. However, he said these were not “substantiated.”

“Ang ibig sabihin, wala pong karadgagang ebidensya, wala pong formal na complaints. Hindi po siya titibay o hindi siya tatayo sa korte kahit sa issue na tinatawag na probable cause,” Garcia said.

[This means that there’s no evidence, no formal complaint. It cannot stand in court even for probable cause.]

During the finance subcommittee hearing, Garcia said vote buying is now the “modern cancer of the democratic way of life.”

“As far as the Commission on Elections is concerned, we need legislation. We need to amend Section 261(a) of the Omnibus Election Code on vote buying. It’s a 1985 law and therefore we need to amend that provision,” he said.

Garcia said the government must also redefine vote buying and include new forms of vote buying such as the sending of cash through technology.

“We will definitely, with the kind help of Congress, push for a severe penalty, more severe penalty for vote buying,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Koko Pimentel and Senator Imee Marcos said the type of evidence submitted may also be included in the amendment of the law.

Marcos, who presided over the subcommittee, said the Philippine National Police and local government units may also be compelled to help the poll body. — RSJ, GMA News