4 Masbate bets face DQ petitions for alleged abuse of state resources

Four candidates in Masbate are facing disqualification petitions for abuse of state resources (ASR) after allegedly using text blast machines to disseminate campaign messages for Eleksyon 2025. 

Petitioners Socrates Tuason, Ruperto Gadia Sr., Noel Tuason, and Ruby Morano filed the petition for disqualification against their rivals Elisa Kho, Richard Kho, Fernando Talisic, and Olga Kho after they allegedly used the emergency cell broadcast system (ECBS) of the Masbate local government to “illegally promote their candidacies in the guise of an emergency alert”. 

Socrates and Richard are running against each other for Masbate governor; while Ruperto and Fernando for vice-governor. Ruby is vying for Masbate mayor while Olga is running for Masbate Second District Representative. 

GMA News Online is trying to get their comments and will publish them as soon as they are available.

“Nagfile kami ng petition for disqualification for violation of the prohibition against ASR in the conduct of the elections against sa mga kandidato ng Kho,” Gadia told reporters. 

(We filed the disqualification petition  for violation of the prohibition against ASR in the conduct of the elections against the Kho slate.)

“Nagkaroon po ng violation ng ECBS. Noong April 3, nag-broadcast sila ng gamit ang emergency cell broadcast system. Pinalabas nila sa warning na instead of emergency, ang nakalagay dun ay candidacy,” he said. 

(There was a violaiton of the ECBS. Last April 3, we received warnings containing their campaign messages instead of emergencies.)

Early this month, the Comelec issued a show-cause order (SCO) against the Kho slate for ASR over the alleged misuse of the text blast machines. Poll chief George Erwin Garcia said using the machines for campaigning is considered an illegal act under the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) and may constitute ASR if the machines are owned by the local government unit (LGU). 

“Una may batas tungkol dyan. Pagnanakaw ng ere sapagkat lahat ng ere sa Pilipinas ay pag-aari at binibigay, may lisensya ng nasa mga telcos, kaya sila kumuha sa Kongreso. Kahit mga radyo, yan ay may franchise di basta pwede gamitin,” Garcia earlier said. 

(First, there is a law against that. Also, it may be considered thievery as the airtime in the Philippines are owned by telecommunication companies. That’s why they ask for franchise. Even radio airwaves, you need franchises for that.)

“Kung may bigla gagamit na di otorisado, illegal yan. Pagnanakaw yan. At the same time, sa natural calamity disaster yan ay pinagbabawal din basta gamitin ng kung sino-sino. At ASR yan. Bakit? Ginamit po eh sa LGU ang gamit nyan…di dapat gamitin,” he added. 

(Therefore, its unauthorized use is illegal. That’s robbery and at the same time, it’s ASR. If the LGU owns that, then bets should not use it for campaigning.)

Apart from disqualification, the petitioners are likewise appealing for the filing of criminal charges against the Kho slate, as well as the implementation of measures to ensure compliance with the anti-ASR provisions in their petition. 

ASR

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 Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. said the poll body 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. —LDF, GMA Integrated News

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