PNP urges people to report vote buying

May 9, 2019

A few days before Monday's 2019 midterm elections, the Philippine National Police ( PNP) urged voters to report any acts of illegal vote buying.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, PNP spokesperson Colonel Bernard Banac asked the public to cooperate.

“It is very important that the person who receives the money will personally report to the PNP because it is important for us to get the evidence and his personal testimony that will prove that he received money from that certain person or group,” Banac said.

Though Banac encouraged taking photos as evidence, he urged the public to report the incident to a police station instead of posting on social media.

“It is better if we can immediately respond. If we only record and let the time pass, we cannot arrest those who are buying votes. So it is better to report while the vote buying is actually happening so that we can respond and arrest them,” said Banac.

Banac told the public not to feel regret about the money they could have received as it is better for them to report the incident.

The PNP is expecting a lot of vote buying reports and they said all reports will be sent to the Commission on Elections for them to decide if the candidate involved will face charges.

Meanwhile, during his visit in General Santos City, Police General Oscar Albayalde said they offered to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol the use of their regional election monitoring action center.

Pinol was assigned to lead the “Task Force Kontra Bigay” in the province that will investigate and prosecute vote buying cases.

“We offered our regional monitoring action center down to the provincial so that there is no need for them to create an office,” said Albayalde.

Albayalde said even before the election, he received tons of text messages reporting acts of vote buying. showing how rampant it is.

“Vote buying is everywhere, the allegations. I am not saying there is presence of vote buying but the allegations of vote buying in the Philippines are everywhere. Not only in Mindanao, also in Visayas and Luzon,” he said.

The PNP has reported three vote buying incidents, with the latest in Butuan City where aside from a sample ballot with P100 inside, assorted firearms, ammunition, explosives and illegal drugs were confiscated from an incumbent mayor who is considered a high value target and in the president’s illegal drugs list. Ella Dionisio/DMS