E-wallet firm on alert against digital vote buying come national polls

CEBU, Philippines —  Mobile wallet Gcash is bracing itself from being used as a channel for possible “vote buying” activity as the national polls approach.

“We have already reached out to the COMELEC to discuss partnership opportunities to address possible vote buying activities in the country. GCash may detect irregular and suspicious activities on our platform. Our team of experts will be on heightened alert during the election period to flag and report these illegal transactions to various relevant authorities,” said Chito Maniago, GCash vice president for corporate communications and public affairs in a statement, following the recent news articles citing the possibility of GCash as a platform for vote-buying.

According to Maniago, the e-wallet app would like to inform the public that it will not condone nor tolerate such illegal acts by any political figure for the upcoming 2022 local and national elections.

Maniago said GCash has always focused its efforts on nation building and promoting financial inclusion for all Filipinos. As such, the e-wallet app is neutral and will not support any political activity, candidate, or party.

He added that GCash has taken the necessary safeguards in both their system and policies to ensure it will not be used as a tool for vote-buying.

Moreover, it has the capability to identify and monitor suspicious transactions and will not hesitate to report these activities to the authorities as may be required by law.

GCash also assures the public that it will work closely with other regulators, and comply with the necessary requirements to ensure that its platform will not be used for vote-buying during the election season.