The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported on Tuesday that it has logged at least 23 cases of vote buying and vote selling nationwide ahead of the midterm elections.
The poll body also recorded 11 cases of abuse of state resources (ASR) as of 1 April, according to Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda.
ASR refers to the misuse of government resources — whether material, human, coercive, regulatory, budgetary, media-related, or legislative — used for electoral advantage.
“Even before the election period began, there were already complaints about this,” Maceda said.
Maceda cited the viral incident involving a party-list accused of vote-buying through a giveaway of three sedan cars during an event in Batangas in February.
“There was also an instance where, even before the campaign period for local positions began, some complained about candidates distributing money during a miting de avance,” he added.
Maceda noted that most of the complaints were reported from the National Capital Region (NCR).
“I don’t know if there are more vote-buying incidents happening here or if the citizens are just more aware of their rights,” he added.
Other areas with high vote-buying and vote-selling incidences include Calabarzon, Palawan, Abra and Camarines Sur.
“Based on current reports, NCR still leads in vote buying and vote selling incidences for 2025,” he said.
During the 2022 national elections, there were 1,226 cases of vote buying, vote selling and ASR.