After almost six years of governing by the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, many Filipinos are anticipating exercising their right to suffrage and letting democracy prevail once again.
But as we move closer to the big day on May 9, we still have various electoral campaigns to witness, where multiple cases of vote-buying have continuously been recorded by the public— although it seems not to be the same case for the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Condemning both acts of buying and selling votes is the most proper and sensible thing to do, as those deeds defeat the purpose of a democratic country.
In the eyes of the law, vote-buying and vote-selling are all prohibited, and Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code has proven it as it states that anything valuable to be offered in exchange for a vote or vice versa is an example of vote-buying.
And with that said, one should be held accountable and prosecuted when proven guilty. Since vote-buying is still rampant, it seems that the Comelec is barely interested.
It is the task of the Comelec to investigate vote-buying cases as it mostly happens during the campaign period, but the reports we see from the news and different social media platforms did not get the chance to turn into a full-blown investigation as they require direct complainants and undeniable evidence.
But how can they or the citizens get proper proof that the money given to one was for the purpose of purchasing a vote when the people who work for a candidate who buys votes are so subtly doing it, or sometimes the act is being concealed by other legal stunts, such as by means of “cash assistance”.
Moreover, the Comelec cannot expect to receive many reports because they also cannot expect that electorates who passively receive bribe money know how to file a complaint.
If the Comelec really wants to end or minimize the practice of vote-buying in our country, then they should be more aggressive in implementing the entirety of all electoral laws; they will not just stick with the obvious that citizens can straight-up point out.
They can always start investigating on their own based on multiple claims— and they will be surprised with the progress.
The Comelec is using the words articulated in the Omnibus Election Code too literally, which becomes a reason for them not to hold someone liable for the act.
Laws will always have loopholes that can be used to dodge by a thinking person, but the Comelec has the upper hand in this matter, and they can catch those who play dirty if only they become more flexible in imposing electoral laws.
Even if they recently launched a task force against vote-buying named “Kontra Bigay”, if they are sticking with the same methods, then we will not be any better.
The means of vote-buying and vote-selling will never justify the end; if these scenarios continue, our nation might go deeper into the rabbit hole.
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