Comelec eyes NBI vs vote-buying

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections is considering tapping the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcement agencies in a bid to intensify its “Task Force Kontra Bigay,” the Comelec’s drive against vote-buying and vote-selling, an official said yesterday.

It is important to have regular personnel in the committee and make it stronger for election periods, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said.

He added that they will also work closely with social media platforms to monitor vote-buying or vote-selling schemes online.

“This is what we want to do with ‘Kontra Bigay.’ We will definitely utilize all government agencies like the NBI. As we said, we must coordinate with platforms like Facebook, Twitter so expenses will be reported,” Garcia said.

Before this, the Comelec resolved on Wednesday to make Task Force Kontra Bigay “a standing and permanent committee within the commission” that will be headed by Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr.

Executive director Teopisto Elnas Jr. will be the vice-chairperson of the committee and spearhead the creation of the secretariat tasked to craft the implementing rules and regulations of the task force.

Garcia said the new committee will have a “whole nation approach” as he explained that all concerned agencies will be part of it, including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

“We will definitely run after establishments, institutions that allow the massive remittance of money,” Garcia said, adding that many have been charged.

The Comelec launched Task Force Kontra Bigay in 2022 in a bid to address the vote-buying and vote-selling issues in the May 2022 general elections.