1 week ago
18
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Already have Rappler+?
to listen to groundbreaking journalism.
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
KONTRA BIGAY. An anti-vote buying graphic from the Commission on Elections primer on vote buying and vote Selling.
Commission on Elections
The Commission on Elections in Central Luzon says it issued six show-cause orders against individuals who ran in Pampanga alone
ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to conduct preliminary investigations into three of the 36 reported vote-buying cases in Central Luzon following the 2025 midterm elections.
Comelec Assistant Regional Director Elmo Duque said that six show-cause orders were issued against individuals who ran in Pampanga alone. The poll body’s regional office also issued orders against two candidates from Aurora, one from Bulacan, and one from Tarlac over allegations of vote-buying, vote-selling, and abuse of state resources.
Duque said that investigations on these cases, to be conducted in coordination with the Philippine National Police and the Committee on Kontra Bigay, will be initiated following the accomplishment of all post-election duties.
He also clarified that the investigations were pursued upon review of the sufficiency of the evidence, stating that 33 reports “lacked evidence to support a case build up.”
One alleged vote-buying incident in Pampanga was reported on Facebook and supposedly involved gift certificates and sample ballots bearing the names of certain provincial and municipal candidates being distributed in various barangays in San Fernando.
“Once we receive the information, the police will interview the complainant with respect to existence of personal knowledge of the occurrence of the incident or the crime that has been committed does it have a personal knowledge: is it happening now, is it being committed now, is it to be committed, or has it just been committed, if it is being committed ‘in flagrante’,” Duque said.
Following the preliminary investigations, the regional Comelec office shall forward their recommendations to the Comelec head office for final deliberation. Penalties can include “perpetual disqualification” for involved public officials that could prevent them from holding office even if they were elected in the 2025 elections.
Duque, however, mentioned that the exact timeline of the cases could not be immediately determined due to the “multi-agency” approach towards the investigations, which involves agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the National Bureau of Investigation. – Rappler.com
Lady Mary Felizziety Daguay, known as “Izzy,” is a BA Communication student at Holy Angel University in Angeles City, Pampanga. The outgoing associate editor and incoming news editor of The Angelite, she is an Aries Rufo Fellowship candidate from April-May 2025.
How does this make you feel?
Loading
