Comelec warns of abuse in gov’t doleouts
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said it is keeping a close watch on numerous government cash aid programs, as they are supposedly prone to abuse by unscrupulous candidates during the ongoing election season.
In an interview over government television, Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr. said the government’s “social protection” programs have become part of the “novel” methods of buying and selling votes in the run up to the May 2025 elections.
“One of the newest schemes of vote-buying is the abuse of state resources—that is widespread and brazen because of the numerous social welfare assistance programs of our government,” he said.
Maceda revealed that Comelec’s Kontra Bigay Task Force has already received up to 34 complaints involving vote-buying and selling, with 11 involving alleged abuse of state resources.
He said the task force expanded its coverage of alleged infractions to include “abuse of state resources” following numerous reports from citizens, mainly in Metro Manila.
“People usually complain how the system seems to put at an advantage those who are behind these programs, as they are usually seen in photos or fronting for these programs,” he said.
“Let us not forget that these assistance programs are due to the government’s policies,” he said.
One of the complaints received by Comelec stemmed from the viral video of a political candidate giving away vehicles. Other reports include the alleged giving of cash rewards to attendees at candidates’ miting de avance.
Less complaints
So far, the 34 complaints received by the Comelec still fare lower than the 1,226 complaints received in 2022 and the 375 reports received in 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), Maceda said.
Metro Manila remains the “center” of vote-buying activities, with the most number of complaints, followed by Calabarzon, Palawan, Abra and Camarines Sur, according to Maceda.
“I don’t know if that’s because there are more vote-buying incidents happening here or that the citizens are just more aware of their rights, and they are fond of reporting it,” he said.
To regulate the use of electronic wallets as a vote-buying platform, Comelec has been working with operators GCash and Maya since the 2023 BSKE, the Comelec official said.
“GCash came out with an advisory that it would set transaction limits. I don’t know when they’re going to impose this [for the 2025 elections] because they haven’t released the details, but it will most likely be done as election day draws near,” he said.
