THE Commission on Elections has urged the public to report incidents of vote buying as the campaign season for this year’s national and local elections officially started.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez advised the public to document the incidents of vote buying and encouraged them to file a complaint.

“Kapag kayo nakakita ng instances ng vote buying, meron po kayong puwedeng gawin. Puwede po kayong magdokument nung nakita ninyong vote buying at ine-encourage namin sila magfile ng complaint. ‘Yan po kasi ang pinakamahalagang aspeto ng laban, laban sa vote buying,” he explained.

Meanwhile, church-based election watchdog, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting yesterday said it is receiving information that huge amounts of money are being offered to buy votes in the 2022 elections.

PPCRV chairperson Myla Villanueva said the cheating in the elections is happening even before the voting.

“We hear a lot of issues about vote-buying and it’s very difficult for PPCRV to catch that and report it. We’re hearing a lot of big numbers being offered to people and families in fact,” she said.

Villanueva said the council needs more volunteers to better monitor the conduct of elections.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Lee Ann P. Ducusin