‘Balut’ for ballot: Bet sued for vote buying

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan, Philippines – Smelling foul play, police have filed charges against a vendor who distributed balut or boiled duck eggs to voters here on election day.

Norma Guiling, 46, is accused of using the “balut-for-ballot” scheme to buy votes in Barangay Asin West here on behalf of a candidate, in violation of a Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution.

Superintendent Benjamin Ocomen, officer-in-charge of the Malasiqui police station, told The STAR yesterday that they had filed a case against Guiling with the local Prosecutor’s Office.

Guiling allegedly gave one balut each to voters in Calbeg Elementary School during Monday’s barangay elections.

Investigators suspect that a candidate had earlier purchased the balut of Guiling and ordered her to give one egg to each voter who would give her a stub.

Dominador Macasieb, a supporter of retired policeman Jimmy Guiling who lost his bid for barangay chairman, confiscated some 180 stubs from the balut vendor.

Macasieb also seized the remaining 120 pieces of balut in Norma’s possession.

The police have not yet established if Norma Guiling is related to candidate Jimmy Guiling.

Macasieb claimed that the balut was being distributed by Guiling in favor of incumbent barangay chairman Remegio Ballesteros who was re-elected last Monday.

The vendor told investigators that she was only concerned about selling her balut and denied she was involved in politics.

Ocomen said although they got feedback that the complaint might eventually be dismissed for being weak because the stubs confiscated from Guiling had no name of any candidate, the police had no choice but to file the complaint against the vendor.

“We only did what we ought to do by filing the case,” Ocomen said.

He said charges of violation of Comelec Resolution 9715 section 89 were filed against the vendor for giving free food to boost the candidacy of a certain aspirant.