THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) Law Department has acted on 83 out of 105 vote-buying concerns in connection with the May 9, 2022 national and local elections.

Atty. John Rex Laudiangco said the Law Department has reported that out of 105 concerns received, 12 were docketed cases, with 11 of them endorsed to the field offices for the conduct of preliminary investigation (PI), while one is set for PI at the Comelec-Law Department.

Laudiangco added that upon the affirmative decision of the en banc for filing Criminal Information, the People of the Philippines will be the complainant, and the Comelec LawDept (or Field Office) will be the Prosecutor.

“What’s important to note here po is the conduct of the preliminary investigation, then if there’s finding of probable cause, the ultimate filing of Criminal Information in the RTC having jurisdiction of the place where the election offense of vote-buying is committed. Therein, as with other felonies, the People will be the complainant, and the Comelec and/or the NPS will prosecute the case,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Comelec spokesperson said that as of 11:30 a.m. on May 30, 2022, the “Task Force Kontra Bigay” has responded to 940 messages received on its Facebook page and responded to 171 e-mails received on its official e-mail server.

Laudiangco said that out of the 171 e-mails, 88 can be considered valid reports and have been officially recorded, while out of the 88 recorded reports, only 49 were submitted with supporting evidence.

He added that from the total of 1,110 reports from the FB page and the official e-mail of Kontra Bigay, 210 concerned citizens were requested to file their affidavit together with their evidence for a potential motu proprio case against the persons involved in vote-buying and selling.

The poll body official also said that out of the 210 concerned citizens requested to file their affidavits three are willing to pursue their complaints.

He added that the lone case from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Quezon City, which has an affidavit of the complaint, is already filed before the Comelec Law Department and is one of the 12 docketed complaints.

A letter reporting suspicious bank withdrawals, amounting to P35-million in total, for vote-buying is endorsed to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

A criminal complaint about vote-buying is pending before the Department of Justice (DOJ)-Prosecutor’s Office of Tangub City.

Laudiangco said some of the reports received through the FB page are not vote-buying/selling-related incidents; similar complaints were received regarding videos that went viral, and some messages on the FB page merely “insulted” or “hate messages” to the Comelec.

He added that many reported vote-buying incidents but are afraid to testify.