Comelec chief: Over 100 BSKE bets linked to vote-buying

More than 100 candidates in the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) have allegedly committed vote-buying, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia said Friday.

“Actually, sa kasalukuyan, mga mahigit 100 ating kumpirmado na engaged at involved sa vote-buying (Actually, at present, more than 100 candidates are confirmed to be engaged in vote buying),” Garcia said in an interview on Unang Balita.

“Kung kaya naman ‘yung mga ‘yan, uma-undergo ngayon ng verification para ma-file ng ating task force bilang isang disqualification, at the same time election offense,” he added.

(That’s why these people are undergoing verification so our task force can file the case for disqualification and election offense.)

According to Garcia, the poll body will suspend the proclamation of candidates with pending cases involving premature campaigning, vote buying, and illegal campaigning should they win.

“Para naman hindi sila ma-proklama agad. Kala kasi nila nagbibiro lang ang Comelec, nagpapatumpik-tumpik lang kami. So hindi po namin ipo-proklama ‘yung may mga pending case sa amin,” he said.

(They will not be proclaimed immediately. They are probably thinking the Comelec is not serious. So we will not proclaim those with pending cases.)

Garcia said candidates buying votes may face disqualification as well as imprisonment of one to six years. Vote sellers, he added, may also be imprisoned for the same period.

“Subalit, subalit, kung sila ay mag sasalita at ibubulgar nila ‘yung irregularidad na 'yan, puwede po namin sila i-exclude sa punishment or sa mismong prosecution. Puwede namin sila gawing witness,” he said.

(However, if they reveal such irregularities to us, they can be excluded from punishment or prosecution. We can turn them into a witness.)

The Comelec chairman stressed that candidates who are resorting to vote buying are those who are not being considered by the public.

“Kaya po sila namimili ng ating boto dahil hindi po sila sikat, hindi po sila popular, at hindi po sila napupusuan at nasa isip ninyo. Kaya binibili na lang and, therefore, dapat po ‘wag natin sila pag bibigyan,” Garcia said.

(The reason why they are buying votes is because they are not popular and they are not in the people's hearts and minds. That’s why they’re buying votes and therefore, we should not allow them.)

Garcia, meanwhile, said that the incident where an individual was caught distributing envelopes containing cash in Navotas was not a legitimate watcher’s training event.

“Una, alam niyo po walang nagti-train doon. Wala pong watcher’s kit man lang doon. Pag tinanong niyo, hindi man lang naintindihan kung anong ginagawa doon sa mismong presinto. So hindi po yan watcher’s training,” he said.

(First of all, there was no training there. There was no watcher’s kit there. If you ask them, they don’t even understand what they are doing in the precinct. So that’s not watcher’s training.)

The Comelec chairman said they already know the candidates who are involved in the incident.

“‘Yan po alam natin kung sino ‘yung mga nasa likod, alam natin kung sino ang nag-finance niyan, at alam din natin kung sino ‘yung mga kandidato na involved po diyan,” Garcia said.

(We know who is behind this, we know who financed this, and we know the candidates involved.)

He said the 200 people present at the event have given their statements. —KBK, GMA Integrated News