Probe ongoing on alleged vote-buying incident in Cavite

Investigation is ongoing on the alleged vote-buying incident in Bacoor, Cavite, where 10 individuals were nabbed over the weekend.

"There is an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Cavite CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) together with the provincial director," Brigadier General Edward Carranza, chief of the CALABARZON police, told Unang Balita on Monday.

"For sure, there will be a denial on the part of the suspects kung kanino nanggaling 'to."

The suspects were arrested for supposedly distributing envelopes with cash worth P200 to residents in Barangay Zapote 5.

The suspects were nabbed after authorities received a text message from an informant that a vote-buying incident was taking place in the area on Saturday at around 6 p.m.

According to Carranza, authorities also seized t-shirts from the suspects which bear the words, "Tapat sa Bayan, Tapat sa Usapan Jonvic Remulla, Gobernador; Jolo Revilla, Bise-Gobernador."

"According sa report na sinubmit ng CIDG Cavite, ang kasama po sa nakumpiskang pera, mayroon po silang nakumpiskang t-shirt, nakaprinta po sa dalawang t-shirt na ito ang pangalan ng kandidato ng isang gobernador at bise-gobernador at isang party-list sa Cavite," Carranza said.

"Ang nasa t-shirt po ang nakaprint po Tapat sa Bayan, Tapat sa Usapan Jonvic Remulla, gobernador... Jolo Revilla, bise-gobernador at 'yun pong party-list WOW 169 Pilipinas," he added.

Initial report indicated that the arrested persons are employees of the Cavite Provincial Capitol.

"Ngunit ang ilan po sa mga suspects, ayon po sa report na sinubmit, ay empleyado raw po ng kapitolyo... ng Cavite Provincial Capitol," Carranza said.

Cases will be filed against the suspects who are presently detained.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Remulla explained that those arrested were his poll watchers.

"The watchers are duly accredited and trained together with a reporting app attached to their smartphones. In the process of distributing their travel allowance for next week's training, they were raided and accosted and arrested with no charges," Remulla said.

Remulla also expressed concern that the incident will be "twisted by his opponents." However, he is positive that voters will see the issue as a "misunderstanding.

"As all is fair in times of political fights, we are confident that the people will see this as a misunderstanding and that the elections will proceed with the people's mandate at stake," Remulla said.  —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News