The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Committee on Kontra Bigay (CKB) will no longer proceed with filing a an election offense case or petition for disqualification against senatorial candidate Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar.
At A Glance
- The Comelec's Committee on Kontra Bigay (CKB) will not file a case against senatorial candidate Camille Villar over alleged vote-buying. The issue stemmed from a Facebook post showing a campaign-related event in Imus, Cavite, where cash was reportedly handed out.
Villar was earlier issued a show-cause order (SCO) in connection with an alleged vote-buying incident that took place in Barangay Buhay na Tubig, Imus, Cavite.
According to CKB head Teopisto Elnas, the SCO stemmed from the submission of an anonymous report regarding a Facebook post showing a campaign-related event in the said barangay. The event reportedly included a raffle where cash was handed out in the presence of Villar.
In the letter sent by Elnas to Villar, the CKB said she denied having committed any violation of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) as the purported event mentioned in the SCO occurred on Feb. 9, 2025, which is prior to the start of the campaign period for senatorial candidates, which began on Feb. 11, 2025.
"Also, you countered that the said event referred to is a promotional event of ALLTV2Network, where you were merely invited as guest. Several Affidavits of Attestation were likewise submitted to attest that the event indeed occurred on 9 February 2025 and was belatedly posted on social media on the reported date of 16 February 2025," it added.
The CKB considers it to have satisfactorily explained the circumstances surrounding the reported act of alleged vote-buying.
"Upon evaluation of the evidence gathered, the undersigned deems the same insufficient to proceed to the filing of a complaint for election offense and/or a petition for disqualification," it added.