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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Election cheats in May 2022 polls face disqualification, Año warns

Election cheats in May 2022 polls face disqualification, Año warns

Published Apr 15, 2022 11:24 am

Political aspirants in the May 2022 local and national polls may be recommended for disqualification as long as there is an evidence that will implicate them to any election-related violation including vote buying, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año stressed on Good Friday, April 15.

PNA photo

In a message, Año said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will check and validate ‘for possible case investigation’ information or reports of vote buying.

“Particularly (in the information received), they will be looking for witnesses and complainants,’’ Año explained.

Año noted that election-related complaints should be reported by the public to the nearest Commision on Election (Comelec) office or Comelec Campaign Committee

“If there is probable cause, the DOJ (Department of Justice) will ensure the filing of cases,’’ he added.

Earlier, the DILG expressed its full support for the Comelec to relaunch the Task Force Kontra Bigay (TFKB) which aims to address the May 2022 poll vote buying woes.

DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya stressed that the activation or reactivation of the TFKB in all the local government units (LGUs) is the antidote to the vote-buying ways of rogue political aspirants.

He noted that the TFKB was first activated during the 2019 elections at the provincial bracket. The DILG proposed its reactivation at the municipal level for the May 2022 local and national polls.

“This 2022, the DILG expects the Comelec to immediately approve the resolution reconstituting and reactivating the Task Force Kontra Bigay which I think is successful because we arrested 356 violators who were accosted by the dedicated anti vote buying teams of the PNP and we have P12 million vote buying money that were confiscated which served as evidence,” Malaya said.

Malaya assured that the the DILG will verify the status of the cases filed against the persons who were accosted for being involved in election vote-buying activities during the 2019 midterm election

The inter-agency "Task Force Kontra Bigay" is composed of the Comelec, Department of Justice (DOJ), Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, DILG, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines, for their concerted effort to confront head-on the menace of vote-buying in our country.

In a previous meeting with the Comele, Malaya said that the resolution will be approved on April 13 and after the Holy Week break will have their scheduled initial meeting with members of the task force.

Malaya said the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be tasked when it comes to the prosecution of people who are involved in vote-buying.

“It's just that the Comelec who can prosecute through the DOJ because we have different pillars in our justice system. On the part of the DILG and PNP, we will focus on making arrest or accosting them for violation of the election code but after we finish our job, we will give it to the DOJ and Comelec for the prosecution and filing of charges until it reaches the court,” Malaya explained.

"I hope we can also focus on the prosecution of these people so that our countrymen can see that we are serious in our steps to prevent or at least reduce vote buying in our country,” he added.

Comelec Commissioner Aimee Torrefrance-Neri said that TFKB is a convergence effort of all the commissioners of the Comelec, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the DILG, its attached agency the PNP and other national government agencies that will expedite all investigations against vote-buying.

Vote-buying and vote-selling are prohibited under Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code.

The law states that vote-buying applies to “any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value in order to induce anyone or the public in general, to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.”

On the other hand, vote selling is committed when voters sell or receive money in exchange for their votes for or against any candidate.

Related Tags

vote buying Comelec DILG Eduardo Año 2 kontra daya
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