By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is collating the names of candidates who have pending disqualification cases and analyzing the evidence against them.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said there are more or less 400 vote-buying and abuse of state resources (ASR) complaints filed before the Committee on Kontra-Bigay, which looks into alleged cases of buying or selling of votes.
The Clerk of the Commission is looking over the cases, especially those backed with strong evidence, “to study the possibility of suspending the proclamation of these candidates in case they win” on May 12, Garcia said.
“We are already gathering those with disqualification cases with the Clerk of the Commission,” he said in an interview.
Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr., who chairs the Committee on Kontra Bigay, earlier said they are expecting to be “flooded” with vote buying and ASR complaints as election day approaches.
He urged the public to report to the Comelec such acts via email (committee.kontrabigay@comelec.gov.ph) or through the poll body’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/comelec.ph/).
Under the Omnibus Election Code, conviction for vote-buying and related offenses carries a penalty of one to six years’ imprisonment, disqualification from holding public office, and deprivation of voting rights. (PNA)
