By Mary Judaline Partlow
DUMAGUETE CITY – A man was arrested at a checkpoint in Bacong town, Negros Oriental, on Saturday afternoon after authorities found envelopes containing cash and sample ballots in his motorcycle, police reported.
Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, identified the suspect as Romnick Adalim, 36, single, and a resident of Barangay Combado in Bacong.
He was stopped by the Regional Mobile Force Battalion–Negros Island Region (RMFB-NIR) officers around 2:35 p.m. in Barangay Lutaw for not wearing a helmet.
Polinar said Adalim was asked to show his driver’s license and motorcycle registration. While complying, he opened the U-box of his motorcycle, revealing several white envelopes, each containing sample ballots and cash, leading to his arrest on suspicion of vote-buying.
A total of 39 envelopes were found, each containing PHP900 in various denominations, amounting to PHP35,100 in total.
The sample ballots featured names of candidates running for different positions in the May 12 elections.
The suspect was brought to the Bacong Police Station where an inventory was done on the materials recovered.
Charges of violation of Comelec Resolution No. 11104, or the “Kontra-Bigay” policy are being readied against Adalim.
Meanwhile, Comelec-NIR director Lionel Marco Castillano explained that while the police handle the criminal investigation, Comelec will take care of the administrative proceedings.
“It is up to the prosecutor’s office to determine probable cause for the filing of a case against any suspect presumed to be buying or selling votes,” Castillano said.
The candidates whose names appear on the sample ballots may not be implicated at all unless there is evidence that prove they were in the act of vote-buying, he added. (PNA)
