A total of 41 violators were reportedly involved in 245 vote buying incidents recorded from Jan. 1 to May 9, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said Wednesday night, May 11.
In a news briefing with President Duterte aired on May 12, Año noted that the cases of the four vote-buying suspects were referred to the Prosecutors’ Office while one was subjected to direct filing.
Año also warned that the DILG, together with other authorities, will continue to run after the vote buying suspects. At least 20 other similar election violation complaints are currently being thoroughly investigated.
Among those allegedly involved in the vote-buying incidents in the May 2022 polls include 32 civilians, one government employee, one barangay kagawad, three barangay captains, one political candidate and three unidentified violators.
He noted that 28 vote-buying violators were nabbed while 13 others remain at large.
Año pointed out there were no reports of politicians paying permit to campaign fees or providing resources to the New People’s Army (NPA) in these elections.
In the same briefing, Año reminded the public that the enforcement of the gun ban regulations will still be in effect until June 8.
Currently, Año noted that authorities arrested 3,191 violators in the recorded 3,004 gun ban violations while 2,475 firearms and 1,151 deadly weapons were confiscated.
Año also maintained that the conduct of the May 9, 2022 polls was generally peaceful in comparison with the 2010 and 2016 national and local elections.
In the chart presented to the President, Año showed that there were 166 validated election related incidents (ERIs) in 2010, 133 (ERIs) in 2016 and only 16 ERIs in 2022.
Based on the DILG data from Jan. 9 to May 9 this year, Año reported four ERIs in Region 1, five ERIs in Region 5, five (ERIs) in Region 3, four ERIs in Region 9, One ERI in Region and two ERIs in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
As of May 9, Año reported seven deaths and 33 injured persons in 27 violent incidents leading to the May 9, 2022 national and local elections.
These violent acts include 11 shooting/mauling incidents, three explosions, two ballot snatching, four commotions, three assaults, two strafing and two destruction of vote counting machines.
The DILG chief noted that the shooting incidents occurred ones in Albay, Negros Oriental, Basilan, Zamboanga del Norte and Cotabato City, thrice in Maguindanao, four times in Lanao del Sur.
Grenade explosions also happened twice in Maguindanao and once in Cotabato while ballot snatching incidents occurred in Lanao del Sur and Basilan, according to Año.
He also disclosed that instances of commotion transpired in Maguindanao, Camarines Sur, Lanao and Tawi-Tawi while physical assault inside the polling precincts were reported in Batangas, Maguindanao and Abra with strafing incidents occurring twice in Basilan.
Año noted that the destruction of vote counting machines also were reported in Lanao del Sur.
However, Año maintained that only six of these violent incidents were election related after validation.