Batangas City: Votes sell for P700; political parties hold ‘voter education’ seminars

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BATANGAS CITY, Philippines – In the final weeks of the 2025 election season, Batangas City saw an uptick in large gatherings of voters by politically-affiliated groups, including one in which multiple witnesses claim cash was given out.

This writer, a Rappler civic engagement volunteer or Mover, gathered firsthand accounts of an April 30 distribution of envelopes, accompanied by verbal instructions to vote for the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist and during which jingles promoting the mayoral candidacy of Marvey Mariño were played.

The first nominee of the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist is Brian Poe, the son of Senator Grace Poe. Poe denies his party is behind the incident. We have sought Mariño’s side, but have yet to receive a response. We will update this story once we do.

This writer also witnessed a May 2 “voter education” seminar where only the names of Batangas candidates Vilma Santos-Recto, Lucky Manzano, and Marvey Mariño were mentioned, and an FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist tarpaulin displayed.

Rappler was able to interview three witnesses from the April 30 envelope distribution, which took place in Barangay Mahabang Dahilig, Batangas City. The two witnesses had themselves lined up to receive envelopes, which they handed, unopened, to a group which plans to file a vote-buying complaint with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

That group told this writer that the envelope contained a P500 bill and two P100 bills, for a total of P700.

Another attendee of the April 30 event showed this writer photos of the same contents in the envelope they had received.

One of the witnesses, a 54-year-old woman, said the distribution happened over a period of two days, April 30 to May 1. The venue was behind a gate of a resort in the barangay, guarded by tanod or barangay watchmen. She was able to enter, and upon presenting herself to the organizers, was asked for a valid ID. She was then given a number that indicated her place in the line.

“Ibinalik si ID, kinuha ang aming cell phone number, parang ganoon. Nakalista kami sa isang bond paper, kinukuha ’yong pirma, cell phone number, complete name, tapos ’binalik na ’yong aming ID,” she said.

(They We were listed in a bond paper with our signature, contact number and complete name then they gave back our IDs.)

This was confirmed by a second witness this writer spoke to, a senior citizen. Both witnesses requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information they shared.

As they waited in line, the campaign jingle of Batangas City mayoral candidate Marvey Mariño kept playing. Mariño is Batangas 5th District congressman and husband of Mayor Beverley Rose Dimacuha. Organizers, who wore civilian clothes and not campaign shirts, prevented attendees from taking photos and videos.

“‘Iboboto, sino’ng iboboto natin? Si Marvey Mariño for mayor!’ ‘Yan ang lagi,” the witness told Rappler. (“Vote! Who will we vote for? Marvey Mariño for mayor!” That kept playing.)

The next day, a similar event was held at Sonn’s Ville Resort in the same barangay. In the room where an organizer talked to those lining up, witnesses said, they were instructed to vote for FPJ Partylist, and tested if they knew the group’s number on the ballot, before they were told to go to an inner room: “Kumuha ka na doon.” (Get inside and get something there.)

When asked what they received inside the room, two witnesses described a small envelope each which they said they had not opened yet. According to them, they were keeping those for legal purposes.

“We haven’t opened our envelopes yet, but I was able to interview the other participants. I asked them how much is inside the envelope, they answered, P700: one P500 bill, and two P100 bills. I haven’t confirmed yet what’s inside of the envelope I received because it’s still sealed,” one of the witnesses said in Filipino.

A third resident of the locality sent Rappler photos of what was contained in the envelope they received from the same April 30 event. The photos showed a single P500-bill and two P100-bills.

Rappler was informed by the witnesses that a formal complaint of vote-buying will be lodged in the coming days, based on their account.

Brian Poe, in a message to Rappler, denied that his party was behind the vote-buying incident.

“We deny these allegations. We in FPJ Panday Bayanihan believe that elections are the most important part of our democracy, therefore its integrity should be protected,” he told Rappler on Tuesday, May 6.

“We condemn vote buying as we do not subscribe to this practice,” he added.

Partisan voter education seminar

On May 2, residents of Barangay Tulo in Batangas City flocked to a remote area in their village to attend what event organizers claimed was a “voter education” seminar. However, during this “seminar,” organizers made mention of select Batangas candidates and a tarpaulin promoting the FPJ Partylist was displayed.

The main speaker of the event was a member of the local political party, Team EBD, party of the ruling Dimacuha political clan, including Batangas City Mayor Dimacuha. Some attendees of the event also arrived there in jeepneys bearing the tarpaulin of Team EBD.

Attendees interviewed by this writer said they were not informed beforehand about the purpose of the gathering, but that they were told they would get P700 from an unnamed Batangas City local candidate.

“Wala rin po kaming alam, basta kami ay nasama lang,” said an attendee, who refused to give her name to Rappler. (We also don’t know, we were just brought along.)

May 2 is 10 days before election day. This is the day the Comelec’s total ban on aid distribution kicks in. According to this ban, all aid distribution, except for medical and burial assistance for qualified individuals, will be presumed to be vote-buying.

Over 1,000 individuals from various barangays — including Mahabang Parang, Libjo, Pagkilatan, Ambulong, Balete, Banaba, and Barangay 4 — flocked to the event.

Attendees had to present a valid ID in order to be part of the event. This writer watched them line up according to their barangay of residence, with number assignments given out, along with campaign materials promoting the candidacies of Bokal Hamilton Blanco, a candidate for Batangas provincial councilor; and Arthur Bart Blanco, a candidate for Batangas City councilor.

When this writer introduced herself to organizers as a Rappler Mover, the organizers immediately announced the presence of media to the attendees, removed a tarpaulin promoting the FPJ Partylist, declared a cut-off of 1,000 attendees for the registration, and clarified that the event was a voters’ education seminar.

The organizer and speaker of the event was Esteban Buan II, a former Batangas City councilor from the Nacionalista Party and Team EBD, the local party of the Dimacuha political clan. He insisted to this writer that the event was a voters’ education seminar.

As the event unfolded, the partisan nature of the event became apparent.

First, Buan spent a portion of his speech asking attendees to name local candidates they would vote for.

He asked, “Who is our mayoral candidate, our governor, and vice governor?”

The crowd responded by naming mayoral candidate Marvey Mariño, gubernatorial candidate Vilma Santos, and her running mate, son Luis Manzano.

Asked why only these candidates were mentioned during the program, Buan said he doesn’t know the other candidates, hence, he could not mention them. He claimed he had only with him a sample ballot listing candidates running in another locality, hence because he did not memorize the names of all the candidates running in Batangas City, he could not name them one by one.

“Pasensiya na, sa tunay na buhay hirap na rin ako. Pangalawa, kung napapansin mo naging random ang pagbabanggit ko. ‘Yong governor ang nabanggit ko ay Vilma Santos, kasi ang pagbabanggit ko ay depende sa sagot ng tao. Sa kanila ako nagtatanong kung mapapansin mo. Sino ang inyong kilalang kandidato? E ang lakas ng boses ng Vilma Santos. E di ‘yon na lang ang aking nasabi. Pero ‘yong [mga kandidato para sa] vice mayor, vice governor, kung hindi mo nadinig, binanggit ko isa isa,” Buan told Rappler.

(I’m sorry, I’m struggling too. Second, if you notice, I mentioned candidates randomly. The governor I mentioned was Vilma Santos because what I say depends on the people’s answer. If you notice, I’m asking them. “Who is the candidate you know?'” And Vilma Santos had the loudest support. So that’s what I ended up saying. But, as for the candidates for vice mayor and vice governor — if you didn’t hear it — I mentioned them one by one.)

When asked why there was an FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist in the “voter education seminar,” he said it was just a “sample” tarpaulin and that he did not know where the other “sample” tarpaulins of other party-list groups were.

To Rappler, he apologized for any shortcomings and said he had organized the event voluntarily.

“Ito’y voters’ education program. My intention is very honest and clear. Sabi ko nga, wala naman akong minention na ito ang iboto n’yo. Ginagawa ko ito on a voluntary basis,” he said.

(This is a voters’ education program. My intention is very honest and clear. I did not tell them who to vote for. I did this on a voluntary basis.)

He said he would make sure he would bring a complete list of candidates next time.

Poe, meanwhile, said the FPJ Panday Bayanihan party will “continue to conduct voter education and prepare [their] supporters and constituents for the upcoming elections.”

Who can conduct voter education seminars?

It was the Commission on Elections (Comelec) itself that encouraged political parties and candidates to help in voter education drives.

In October 2024, Comelec Chairman George Garcia was quoted by the Inquirer as saying: “It can be a lost chance if a voter likes you but does not know where or how to shade [the ballot]. I think that should be included in their campaigns, [how] to accomplish the ballots by voters,” Garcia said in a press briefing that followed the end-to-end testing of the automated election systems for the 2025 elections.

He added that since the Comelec’s information drives may be limited in reach, the agency would “need help, even if it’s political parties and candidates.”

But the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines also clearly states that information campaigns about electoral processes should be done by “non-partisan” and “impartial” groups or citizen organizations. Buan, being a member of local political party Team EBD, is clearly partisan.

Under Article VII of the Code, which lists the powers and functions of the Comelec, citizen’s arms enlisted by the Comelec should be “non-partisan group or organizations of citizens from the civic, youth, professional, educational, business or labor sectors known for their probity, impartiality and integrity.”

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, May 6, Garcia said he is aware of incidents like these and that the commission is waiting for the official relaying of evidence proving if the voter education seminars are “legitimate” or not.

Regarding his encouragement to political parties to conduct voter education drives, he said he only meant this to apply during the period before the start of the local campaign season.

“Noong una po, sinasabi ko naman talaga noong mga bandang October, tumulong ang mga political parties, kahit mga candidates, sa voters’ education. Sapagkat noong mga panahon ‘yun, hindi pa po sila kandidato. Noong mga panahon ‘yun, sila po ‘yung aspirants lang,” he said.

(At first, I really said in October that political parties, even candidates, should help with voters’ education. Because, at that time, they were not yet candidates. At that time, they were merely aspirants.)

“Pero nagbago na noong magsimula ng campaign period noong March 28 na sila ay kandidato na. And therefore, papasok na ‘yung mga rules, guidelines at limitations natin patungkol sa bagay na ‘yan,” added.

(But that changed since the campaign period started on March 28, when they became candidates. And, therefore, all the rules, guidelines, and limitations regarding that will apply.) – with reports from Michelle Abad and Pia Ranada/Rappler.com

Cahvriligne Trizh C. Ronquillo is a Mover, or Rappler civic engagement volunteer, from Batangas. She is a second-year BS psychology student at Batangas State University-TNEU, and also a staff writer at The Trident under the Literary and Opinion-Editorial sections.

The Movers Program 2025 is supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in the Philippines.

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