Comelec First Division disqualifies Cabuyao City mayor over alleged vote-buying

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) First Division disqualified Cabuyao City, Laguna Dennis Felipe Hain in the 2025 May elections over alleged vote-buying. 

In a decision dated October 23, the division granted the petition filed by former Cabuyao Vice Mayor Leif Opiña seeking to disqualify Hain from the midterm polls for alleged violation of Sections 261 (a) and (o) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC). 

Opiña, in his petition, accused the National Unity Party (NUP) of distributing money to local residents on several occasions in April. Tagged as “poll watchers seminar”, the political party carrying Hain supposedly gathered voters in his private property, where they were handed P1,000 each. They were likewise asked to surrender their mobile phones and to present their voter’s certification or identification cards upon entry. 

The mayor, in his response, denied the allegations and said the evidence presented, including photos and videos, was “never identified and authenticated by their source”. He also submitted a sample ballot of the NUP to supposedly show that the alleged sample ballots submitted by the petitioner were mere fabrication. 

However, the Comelec First Division said in its ruling that Opiña’s allegations and evidence sufficiently established the commission of vote-buying. 

It said that the residents’ judicial affidavits attesting to the allegations, corroborated by the photos of money bills with sample ballots as well as the images and video clips of long lines of people outside the mayor’s property, established the first element constituting the violation under Section 68 (a) of the OEC. 

The poll body division also said that long queues in a property fall under the presumption of vote-buying under Section (c) of the OEC, which the mayor supposedly failed to explain in his affidavit. 

According to the Comelec division, Hain will be liable for vote-buying as he is already considered a candidate when the alleged violations were committed. 

In the same decision, the commissioners rejected the disqualification case against Dondon Hain, who ran as district representative, as moot and academic after he lost in the 2025 May polls. 

“Wherefore, premises considered, the Commission First Division resolves to grant the petition for disqualification against respondent Dennis and dismiss the petition against respondent Dondon,” the decision said. 

“Respondent Dennis Felipe Hain is hereby disqualified as mayor of Cabuyao City, Laguna for the 2025 NLE,” it added. 

Motion for reconsideration

For his part, the Cabuyao City mayor denied the allegations and said that he will file a motion for reconsideration (MR) against the Comelec ruling.

“Bagaman iginagalang natin ang pasya ng Comelec First Division, magsasampa po ang legal team ni Mayor Hain ng Motion for Reconsideration sa Comelec En Banc, alinsunod sa itinakdang proseso ng batas,” he said on a Facebook post. 

(While we respect the Comelec First Division ruling, we will file an MR with the en banc.)

“Mariing pinaninindigan ni Mayor Hain na hindi siya sangkot, hindi siya nag-utos, at wala siyang kinalaman sa mga alegasyong ibinato laban sa kanya, at nananatili siyang may tiwala na sa masusing pagrepaso ay lilitaw ang katotohanan at siya ay mapapawalang-sala,” he added. 

(Mayor Hain stands firm that he was never involved in any of the alleged activities he was accused of.)—LDF, GMA Integrated News