Almost 100 vote buying cases recorded
Nearly 100 reports of vote buying have surfaced ahead of the 2025 local and national elections, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) revealed on Sunday. According to LENTE executive director Atty. Rona Ann Caritos, vote buying incidents happened in various places — from barangay halls to voters’ homes, and even during last-minute gatherings.
“Dapat maging mapagmatyag tayo dahil ito ang last-ditch effort ng ating mga kandidato na makasiguro ng boto at panalo bukas,” Caritos emphasized, urging the public to stay vigilant as candidates make their final push to secure votes.
Vote buying escalates before election day
Caritos noted that the number of reported cases surged notably on Friday evening. She described vote buying as a “big” problem in the Philippines, adding that it is more widespread among local candidates than national ones.
“Parte pa rin ng pag monitor ng vote buying kahit pagkatapod ng election kasi hindi lang naman yan nangyayari bago at sa araw ng halalan. Nangyayari rin po yan pagkatapos,” she explained. This means that vote buying is monitored not only before and on election day but also after the polls.
Vote buying remains a major problem
Based on LENTE’s reports, 70% of complaints involved vote buying while the remaining 30% concerned the abuse of state resources. Caritos emphasized the seriousness of both issues but pointed out how many people view the use of government resources as a normal advantage for incumbents during elections.
“Ang vote buying ay malaking problema. Ang (abuse) state resource malaking problema pero ang tao, ang pagtanggap nila sa state resources o paggamit ng resources ng gobyerno, parang advantage ng incumbent, na parte yan ng election,” she said.
Abuse of state resources during campaigns
Caritos also highlighted that candidates participating in the distribution of social welfare program payouts during the campaign period are committing abuse of state resources. This practice further blurs the line between public service and electioneering.
Comelec receives hundreds of reports
Earlier, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that its Committee on Kontra Bigay has already received more than 400 reports related to vote buying, vote selling, and abuse of state resources for Eleksyon 2025.
Voters are reminded to stay alert and report any suspicious activities related to vote buying as the elections draw near. Such vigilance is crucial to ensure a fair and honest election process.
For more Eleksyon 2025 updates, visit the official election microsite.