Mindoro mayor, wife accused of vote buying

CALAPAN CITY — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has issued show cause orders against the incumbent mayor of Bulalacao town and his wife for alleged vote-buying.The complaint was filed by a concerned citizen with the poll body's Committee on Kontra Bigay.

Slapped with show cause orders by Teopisto Elnas Jr., executive director of Kontra Bigay committee, were Bulalacao Mayor Ernilo Villas and his wife Edna who allegedly facilitated the distribution of cash amounting to P2,000 each to beneficiaries under the pretense of a work program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Ernilo Villas, the incumbent mayor, is running for vice mayor of Bulalacao, while his wife, Edna, is running for mayor of the same municipality.

"An examination of the complaint and attached evidence dated April 7, 2025 reveals that you, while being a candidate for Vice Mayor in the 2025 National and Local Elections, gave and distributed assistance or ayuda of Two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) per recipient in the guise of a work program of the DSWD which not normally given to qualified individuals, during the campaign period," the order read in part.

With the order, the mayor and his wife are required to explain in writing within a non-extendible period of three days from receipt why a complaint for election offense and a petition for disqualification should not be filed against them.

The order stemmed from a complaint filed by a concerned citizen to the Committee on Kontra Bigay alleging the vote-buying incidents on March 27 and March 28 and on April 2, 2025, that happened in the covered court of Barangay Poblacion.

In a memorandum dated April 3, 2025, Regional Director Leonardo Reynoso of DSWD said that the assistance is part of the agency's Cash for Training (CFT) and Cash for Work (CFW) programs but was delayed due to on-going facilitation in the Regional Office, hence no payout has been made on the dates mentioned in the complaint

"The Regional Focal of the Risk Resiliency Program Project LAWA and BINHI (PLaB) made coordination to the Provincial Focal of Oriental Mindoro and concerned LGUs to clarify the said matter and with thorough assessment and validation, none of the alarming allegations from the anonymous sender were proven true," the DSWD memorandum said.

The Manila Times tried to get a reaction from the office of Mayor Villas on Thursday but an aide, who requested anonymity, said that the mayor is yet to receive a copy of the show cause order.