Comelec: Vote buying rampant

MANILA, Philippines - Vote buying remained rampant in the second automated elections last Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said they have been receiving reports of vote buying from all over the country.

“I don’t have the data about vote-buying, but certainly it has been reported many times over the last two, three days... It is all over,” he said.

Jimenez said most of the reports involve local candidates.

“I haven’t heard any national candidates being involved in such operations,” he said.

The amount used in vote buying ranges from P200 to P5,000, he added.

Jimenez said the automation of the elections might have worsened the incidence of vote buying.

“It gives a sense that it has become rampant since the (election) operators cannot manipulate the results of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, that’s why they resort to vote buying,” he said.

“Because why will they resort to vote-buying if they already know how to hack into the system and manipulate the results?”

Under the Omnibus Election Code, vote-buying is an election offense involving the giving, offering or promising money or anything of value directly or indirectly to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate.

The offense carries a penalty of one to six years imprisonment, removal of the right to vote, and disqualification from running for public office.

Lack of ballot secrecy

Foreign observers were concerned about the lack of ballot secrecy during the last elections.

Arnold Tarrobago, Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections (COMPACT)  national coordinator, said ballot secrecy guarantees that the voting was free from intimidation and bribery.

“In many polling precincts, there was a deficiency of ballot secrecy folders,” he added.

“Voters were also inserting their ballots to the PCOS machines without any attempt at concealment or advice from election officers to conceal their votes.” – Helen Flores, Mayen Jaymalin, Sheila Crisostomo