Comelec clears Villar of vote buying

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed the disqualification case filed against senatorial bet Camille Villar over alleged vote buying.

In a one-page resolution signed by Teofisto Elnas Jr., vice chair of the Committee on Kontra Bigay, the poll body said there was insufficient evidence to pursue the complaint.

The 7 May resolution stated: “Upon evaluation of the evidence gathered, the undersigned deems the same insufficient to proceed to the filing of a complaint for an election offense and/or a petition for disqualification.”

Villar’s lawyers provided a satisfactory explanation regarding the alleged incident, clarifying that the event cited happened on 9 February — before the start of the official campaign period — and did not violate any election laws. Several affidavits presented also backed their claim.

The complaint arose from a social media post on 12 February that accused Villar’s camp of vote buying at an event in Cavite.

Villar welcomed the ruling just days before the 12 May election, saying: “I thank the Comelec for the timely resolution. I assure everyone that I am running on a clean platform, focused on my advocacies to improve the lives of Filipinos.”

Her campaign received a boost recently when former Manila mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso endorsed her at a rally in Paco, Manila.

Domagoso urged voters to include Villar among their Senate picks. “Can we include her in our list of 12? Our senator, Camille Villar!” he said in Filipino.

Villar has vowed to champion small businesses, affordable housing, gender inclusivity, and women empowerment in the Senate. She highlighted her deep Manila roots, noting that her father, businessman and former Senate President Manny Villar, was raised in Moriones, Tondo, and started out as a seafood vendor in Divisoria — an experience she said that shaped her empathy for ordinary Filipinos.