Vote-buying complaints filed in 5 regions — PNP
(FILES) THE Commission on Elections signed a memorandum of agreement with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders at the launching of Committee on Kontra Bigay at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila on 7 February. The Comelec has issued a resolution allowing warrantless arrests of individuals caught in the act of vote buying and selling. Philippine National Police chief Rommel Francisco Marbil and Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia vowed to make the 2025 midterm elections as the safest elections ever.
Toto Lozano
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Saturday that it logged 18 individuals facing charges in five regions nationwide for alleged vote buying and selling amid the 2025 midterm elections.
In a news forum, PNP Public Information Office chief Police Colonel Randulf Tuaño said that among vote-buying cases involved the distribution of groceries and financial aid, including social services programs.
“Sa five cases na nangyari, ang suspects na na-file-an ng kaso ay 18 (Of the five cases, we have filed charges against 18 persons),” he said.
Tuaño said the vote-buying and vote-selling cases were reported in Ilocos Region, Calabarzon, Davao, Bicol, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
He said distributing groceries and financial assistance, including programs like TUPAD, is prohibited within 10 days prior to the elections.
Last week, the PNP said charges had been filed against a group found in possession of P1.5 million in cash, a violation amid the election period when transporting large sums of money is prohibited.
The PNP also stressed that several vote-buying incidents nationwide are under active investigation, with appropriate charges to be filed as evidence permits.
In support of the Commission on Elections and in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s call for clean, honest, and credible elections, the PNP has intensified its Kontra Daya (Anti-Cheating) campaign.
Acts presumed to constitute vote-buying or vote-selling include the possession, transport, or carrying of cash exceeding P500,000 along with campaign materials two days before and on election day; the distribution of financial aid or ayuda; and the presence of long queues of registered voters receiving money or grocery items intended to influence their vote for or against any candidate.