MANILA, Philippines — A complaint center is opening soon to receive complaints of vote-buying and vote-selling related to the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The “Kontra Bigay” Complaint Center (KBCC) shall be established as part of the Comelec’s intensified campaign against vote-buying.
“The KBCC shall operate through the CKB (Committee on Kontra Bigay) Office and through its exclusive communication channels, including but not limited to electronic mail (e-mail) and social media account such as Facebook page,” the Comelec said in a resolution.
It added that the KBCC shall operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but noted that the CKB and the KBCC shall operate for 24 hours from Oct. 29 to 31.
The KBCC shall receive complaints and reports of vote-buying and vote-selling from any citizen who has personally witnessed the act of offering or promising by or of voter’s acceptance of money or other consideration from the relatives, leaders or sympathizers of a candidate.
It shall assist in the preparation of the complaint, the affidavit of witnesses attesting to the offer or promise by or of voter’s acceptance of money or other consideration from the relatives, leaders or sympathizers of a candidate.
The Comelec said the KBCC shall also help gather relevant evidence for vote-buying and vote-selling, such as corroborated video clips, photographs and other audio-visual recordings.
As part of its mandate, the KBCC shall refer the reports received involving incidents of vote-buying and vote-selling to the election officer having jurisdiction over the place where the alleged vote-buying and vote-selling happened.
For the filing of a formal complaint for the election offense of vote-buying and vote-selling before the Comelec’s Law Department, the KBCC is also tasked to refer to the CKB the complaints for vote-buying and vote-selling, together with the affidavits of the witnesses and other corroborated evidence.
The Comelec noted that all the information to be received by the KBCC shall be kept confidential and shall only be used for the purpose of addressing the complaint and report for vote-buying and vote-selling.
Anonymous reports and complaints for vote-buying and vote-selling shall be evaluated by the KBCC to determine whether there is sufficient basis for the conduct of a preliminary investigation.
The poll body had previously announced the upgrading of its former Task Force Kontra Bigay into a more permanent Committee on Kontra Bigay.
It is also pushing for the warrantless arrest of those who will be caught in the act of buying or selling votes.
No extension
There is no more chance for those who are intending to run for the BSKE but failed to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs).
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco yesterday said that the poll body is no longer extending the filing of COCs.
“No more, that’s it,” Laudiangco replied when asked whether the poll body is considering to extend the COC filing.
“If you can observe from the pictures we shared, (the COC filing) is no longer (a) ‘blockbuster’ since Sept. 2,” he added.
Only a few aspirants came to various Comelec offices to file their COCs by the end of the filing period, according to Laudiangco.
Except in the National Capital Region (NCR), Ilocos Norte and Abra, the filing of COCs officially ended last Saturday.
The Comelec had previously extended for two days the filing of COCs in the NCR, Ilocos Norte and Abra, where government operations were suspended due to heavy rains and flooding.
The poll body’s partial report indicated that as of yesterday, a total of 1,390,160 aspirants had filed their COCs. Of the figure, 905,526 – 65.14 percent – are males while 484,636 are females.
Those aspiring to become barangay chairmen account for 95,731 while 721,181 want to be barangay council members.
There are 91,033 individuals vying for SK chairperson and 482,217 want seats in the SK council.
Laudiangco said the figures exclude the last day of COC filing in the NCR and Abra.