Reject vote-buyers, ensure clean elections: Palace

MANILA – Filipino voters must reject vote-buying to ensure a clean and honest May 9 polls, Malacañang reiterated on Friday.

Acting Deputy Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan, citing the Omnibus Election Code, said any individual who is engaged in vote-buying or vote-selling will be slapped with appropriate sanctions.

“The Palace reminds the Filipino people that vote-buying and vote-selling are prohibited acts under the Omnibus Election Code,” Ablan said in an online press conference. “Anyone found guilty of these prohibited acts under the Omnibus Election Code [will] face penalties of imprisonment and fine.”

Section 261(a) of the law states that vote-buying and selling involve “any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party”.

Also likely to be charged are “any person, association, corporation, group or community who solicits or receives, directly or indirectly, any expenditure or promise of any office or employment, public or private, for any of the foregoing considerations” and “two or more persons, whether candidates or not, who come to an agreement concerning the commission of any violation of Paragraph (a)”.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said complaints must be filed at once while a task force will investigate reports of vote-buying.

Any person found guilty of any election offense shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation.

“In addition, the guilty party shall be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage,” the law states.

Ablan also reminded the continued observance of minimum public health standards as the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) remains a pandemic.

“Kumpiyansa kaming mananatiling maging alerto ang atin mga kababayan sa pagsisimula ng local election campaign period. Sumunod po tayo sa mask, hugas, iwas, lalo na po sa iwas o ang tinatawag nating (We are confident that our countrymen will stay alert at the start of local election campaign period. Continue to wear mask, wash hands, and observe) social distancing,” he said.

On Thursday, acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar ensured that there will be no slowdown in the government’s Covid-19 vaccination drive despite the start of the campaign period for local positions on Friday.

About 65.5 million or 72.81 percent of the population are now fully-vaccinated against Covid-19 as of March 24, while 11.7 million of them received their booster shots.