Five arrested for vote-buying

MANILA, Philippines - Initial police reports showed that five persons were arrested yesterday and last Sunday for alleged vote-buying in various parts of the country.

Two employees of the provincial capitol were nabbed for allegedly giving money to voters in Antipolo City.

Mario Natividad and Marvin Eleponga were collared while distributing cash ranging from P500 to P1,000 per voter in front of Camelia Montego Homes along Maguey St., Barangay San Luis at about 2 p.m.

Natividad is from the security division of the provincial capitol while Eleponga is a casual employee, police said.

Investigators said several witnesses said the duo offered money in exchange for voting for their candidates, whose names were withheld.

The two suspects were charged with violation of Article XXll Section 261 of the Batasang Pambansa 881 or the Omnibus Election Code before the Antipolo City prosecutor’s office.

Police also arrested last Sunday morning a barangay councilman for allegedly distributing fake P1,000 bills, allegedly to buy votes in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.

Police Officer 3 Hilbert Guzman, a Buenavista police investigator, identified the suspect as councilman Edmund Lulu of Barangay 9 in Buenavista.

Guzman said charges of possession of counterfeit money were filed against Lulu.

Two other suspects were arrested by responding policemen last Sunday for allegedly distributing fake P1,000 bills to buy votes in Barangay Poblacion, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.

The Buenavista police identified the suspects as Ronie Bahao, of Barangay Sacol; and Imbong Maturan, of Barangay 4 in Buenavista.

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said vote-buying cannot be curbed “unless you improve the economy.”

“It’s the same. People need the money, especially in the barangays,” Ferrer told The STAR after he cast his vote at the Central School in Poblacion, Binmaley, Pangasinan yesterday.

Ferrer said vote-buying is wrong “but we cannot control it.”

Police units also confiscated evidence of vote-buying in various parts of the country.

Law enforcers seized 878 pieces of sample ballots with P100 bills stapled to them from a businessman’s residence early yesterday morning in Barangay Macalaya, Castilla in Sorsogon.

A police team raided the house of Ramir Navas where sample ballots bearing the names of local and national candidates and stapled with a P100 bill each were confiscated.

The raid was conducted after a search warrant was issued by Judge Amy Rosero of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 11 in Ligao City.

Police withheld the names of the candidates listed in the seized sample ballot pending investigation of the case.

Local representatives of the poll watchdog groups Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Automated Elections Systems (AES) Watch, and Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) reported that votes are being bought for prices ranging from P1,500 to P3,000 in the rich mining towns in Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur and in the Tubay and Buenavista in Agusan del Norte.

Radio station dxBC of the Radio Mindanao Network reported that some candidates in Butuan City are buying one vote for P1,000.

Candidates are allegedly distributing envelopes containing P500 cash and sample ballots.

Some candidates for the local council in Butuan City were reportedly giving voters cash ranging from P20 to P100.

Chief Superintendent Clarence Guinto, Bicol police regional director, said 25 persons were invited for questioning in connection with reports of vote buying in the region.

“Vote buying was considerably minimized due to the visible presence of police and Army personnel,” said Guinto during a briefing at the police headquarters in Camp General Simeon Ola, Legazpi City.

He said 250 houses were raided in areas where vote buying was reported.

Guinto said the police had conducted 114 activities to validate reports on vote buying on the eve of the midterm elections on Monday.

In Bauko, Mountain Province, local policemen reported that some candidates allegedly distributed envelopes containing sample ballots and fake P500 bills. – With Ben Serrano, Cet Dematera, Celso Amo, Artemio Dumlao, Eva Visperas