Comelec receives 689 reports of vote buying

MANILA, Philippines — As of election day, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has received nearly 700 reports of vote buying and abuse of state resources.

Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda yesterday said the Kontra Bigay panel has received a total of 689 cases of vote buying.

Maceda said the number of vote buying and abuse of state resources cases recorded in this year’s midterm elections was way below the figure in the 2022 polls.

While the voting is over, Maceda said the Comelec would continue the investigation and pursue election offense cases against those found to have
 engaged in such illicit activities.

Comelec Chairman Garcia said they have monitored fewer reports of vote buying after the poll body ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to arrest, even without a warrant, those caught in the act of committing the crime.

Meanwhile in Iloilo City, a 56-year-old jobless man was the first, and so far only, person arrested for allegedly vote buying.

Alias Romeo, a resident of Barangay Logohon, Madalag, was arrested in a Comelec-PNP-Army checkpoint at Barangay Poblacion, Madalag at 9:15 a.m. of May 11.

The PNP has documented 28 vote buying cases across the country during the midterm elections.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said yesterday 68 persons were identified in the incidents, 19 of whom were arrested while 22 remain at large. The 27 other people were released by the authorities.

Ilocos had the highest number of incidents with six, followed by Central Luzon and Bicol which had four cases each. The other vote buying cases occurred in other parts of the country.

NBI: No arrests

There were no arrests reported by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), one of the agencies monitoring possible vote buying during the 2025 midterm elections.

NBI director Jaime Santiago yesterday told The STAR that violators may be arrested without a warrant issued by a court.

“If there is an actual violation happening in front of law enforcers, they can arrest that violator,” Santiago said in Filipino.

Although there are no deployments on the side of NBI for the elections, Santiago said they were on standby.

“We are on alert. Our role would be ready on-call,” he said.

On Sunday, the Comelec resolved to adopt the study of the commission’s law department on the legality of the arrest of those who violated election campaign guidelines.

Both the PNP and NBI partnered with Comelec to monitor possible vote buying activities. — Jennifer Rendon, Emmanuel Tupas