Palawan has been identified by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as one of the top five provinces being closely monitored for vote buying and vote selling ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
In a live interview on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon aired on Tuesday over state-owned PTV, COMELEC Commissioner Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr. said the poll body has received a total of 34 complaints so far at its main office—23 related to vote buying and vote selling, and 11 involving abuse of state resources.
He said that several complaints came in even before the election period officially began.
“Well, as of this morning (April 1), we have received 34 complaints dito sa main office. Twenty-three are on vote buying and vote selling. There are around 11 that referenced abuse of state resources,” Maceda said.
“Bago pa man nag-umpisa ang election period, mayroon ng mga nagreklamo nito. Kung natatandaan nyo, naging viral ang pagraraffle ng sasakyan at mayroon din bago pa man nagumpisang election or campaign period nitong lokal, sinusumbong na nila na nagkakabigayan ng pera pagdating sa meeting de avance,” he said.
When asked about which areas are being focused on due to recurring issues, Maceda said, “From the province, let’s just do top five—Palawan, Abra, Camarines Sur.”
He added that while most of the current complaints come from Metro Manila, these provinces remain high-priority monitoring zones based on historical data and patterns.
Maceda disclosed that they received 1,226 complaints about vote buying and other electoral irregularities for the national and municipal elections that took place in 2022.
During the elections for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and barangay in 2023, the total number of complaints that they received decreased to 375.
Maceda also emphasized the growing use of e-wallets like GCash in vote buying operations.
He explained that suspicious digital transfers could be detected through unusually uniform amounts.
“Alam nila naglabas ang GCash ng advisory na maglalagay sila ng transaction limits. So malaking bagay ito dahil isa ito sa bagong pamamaraan ng pagbili ng boto,” he said.
“Kunyari puro ₱5,000 o puro ₱1,000, wala yung ₱980.75, walang butal. So you can expect, pwede na ‘yang maituring na parang suspicious and it will put these e-wallet companies on guard,” Maceda said.
He clarified that accountability does not rest solely on the vote buyer.
In cases of vote buying, Maceda pointed out that all parties involved are liable—the person offering the bribe, the person accepting it, and the person voting in exchange for it.
“So liability lang pagdating sa vote buying is really the one who makes the offer, the one who accepts, and the one who votes as an inducement,” he said.
The commissioner also lauded the support of banks and financial institutions in strengthening election integrity.
The collaboration of banks to help in the battle against vote buying is important, he stressed. Although they bear no legal responsibility for vote buying activities, their obligation to depositors and their backing render them a significant foundation in the commission’s campaign.
Maceda further cited the widespread misuse of government social welfare programs as another major concern being addressed by COMELEC.
“Ang nireklamo ng ating mamamayan, bakit parang tila nakakalamang ‘yung mga taong nasa likod nito, silang pumipicture, silang humaharap. Alam naman po natin na ‘yan ay tulong na naaayon sa atin dahil sa polisiya ng gobyerno,” he said.
“Ang types of abuse of state resources — there’s financial abuse, institutional abuse, coercive or regulatory abuse, administrative or regulatory manipulation and misuse of state resources,” he added.
Maceda concluded with a reminder about the critical role of honest elections in upholding democracy.
“In favor of the strong over the weak, the rich over the poor, the bad and the ugly over the good. So kami sa Commission ng Halalan sinisiguro namin na ang resulta ng inyong halalan ay nagsasalamin kung anong tunay ninyong pasya, kung anong tunay ninyong napupusuan,” he said.
