COMELEC will launch a task force against ‘vote buying’
The upcoming national election is over a month away, and securing the Filipinos’ votes is crucial. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on March 25 that it will carry out investigations motu proprio or on its own against those who violate campaign rules through its interagency task force Kontra Bigay.
According to Inquirer, Comelec Commissioner George Garcia explained that the task force will act on formal complaints. He added that the poll body would be “serious” about going after election violators. He said, ‘Hopefully to be activated by the Comelec en banc and constituted by next week.’
The inter-agency team would be comprised of the following: the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Philippine Information Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Garica, an election lawyer prior to his appointment to Comelec, explained that formal complaints may be filed at the Comelec law department or any of the agencies that are part of Kontra Bigay. He assured, ‘Our commitment in eliminating this irregularity is unparalleled.’
Meanwhile, incident reports can be sent to sumbongko@votesafe.ph, which is Comelec’s e-mail for potential election offenses.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, vote-buying a.k.a. offering “money or anything of value… in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election” is forbidden. It is punishable by imprisonment of one to six years, disqualification from public office, and deprivation of the right of suffrage.
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Source: we the pvblic
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