CEBU CITY—An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here admitted that preventing vote-buying done through e-money is highly impossible.
Lawyer Edwin Cadungog, election officer of Comelec-Cebu City North District, said the absence of a national guideline makes it difficult for the agency to prevent vote-buying through e-wallet such as G-Cash or money transfer services.
“That’s a big challenge. The Comelec is helpless when it comes to that,” Cadungog told reporters on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Cadungog said checking e-money transactions just to prove a case of vote-buying may violate one’s rights.
What the agency is beefing up is its ability to ensure that candidates will comply with the usual election-related rules and the health protocols that the government set to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Cadungog.
He said the City Comelec Campaign Committee (CCCC) was formed to monitor possible health protocols violations during campaign sorties.
The Comelec Election Monitoring Action Center is tasked to monitor common election violations such as oversized campaign posters or the posting of campaign materials in inappropriate places.
Cadungog reminded candidates to secure permits when staging campaign rallies.
Permits must be applied for with the local government unit where the campaign activity will be held.
“The permit must be applied for 72 hours before the holding of the activity. If the application is not acted upon 48 hours before activity, it is deemed approved," Cadungog said.