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Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said the poll body is ready to address "modern vote-buying"--which is carried out via transfers to e-wallets--in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). 

Garcia gave this guarantee to solons Monday, Sept. 11 during the House Committee on Appropriations' deliberation on Comelec's 2024 budget. 

"The AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) and the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) committed to support us," Garcia said. 

The Comelec chief said they've issued a resolution detailing the activities that they would consider as vote-buying. He said the resolution places the burden of truth on the person accused of vote-buying. 

Garcia specifically mentioned money transfers via Gcash and Paymaya as possible cases of modern vote-buying. 

"Pagka-nagpadala yung mismong tao, kahit na siya ay kandidato o hindi, ay ipri-presume po namin. For example massive, 20 tao, 200 daan, tig-P1,000, tig-P500 daan wala pang butal, ipre-presume namin na engaged sa vote-buying yang tao na yan," he told the panel members. 

(If the person sends money, whether or not the person is a candidate, then we will presume [vote-buying]. For example, the person sends to 20 people, 200 people, amounts worth P1,000 and P500 each with no loose change, we will presume that person as engaged in vote-buying.) 

"Ni hindi naman siya nagpapadala before (Especially if the person has never sent money before)," Garcia added. 

"Kausap po namin ang BSP at tsaka AMLC. Kahit po sabihin na natin wala sa batas, sa ating pong Bank Secrecy Law. At tsaka sa Anti Money-Laundeing Law, wala po sa batas. Hindi po predicate crime ang vote-buying," he further said. 

(We are talking the BSP and the AMLC. Even if tther are no provisions in either the Bank Secrecy Law or the Anti Money-Laundeing Law. Vote-buying is not a predicate crime.) 

Moreover, Garcia said that Comelec may now file cases of vote-buying on their own volition, or motu proprio. In the past the poll body had to wait for a party filer of a case before they could act on it.

The BSKE will take place on Oct. 30, 2023.