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IRIGA CITY, Philippines – Several days before the May 12 polls, widespread vote buying was reported in Iriga City, Camarines Sur, prompting various political camps to investigate and report cases to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Mayoral candidate Remeliza “Peachy” Alferol Moraleda’s camp’s documentation of alleged vote-buying operations in Barangay Sta. Elena, Iriga, led to a heated confrontation with Rudy Pungtan, a former barangay captain of the village.
“Per Comelec’s request for vote-buying evidence, we went to Sta. Elena and found a large group lined up behind the elementary school, leading us to presume ongoing vote buying,” Moraleda said. “While there, we attempted to film the activity behind the elementary school for submission to the Comelec as formal evidence.”
However, Moraleda said that when they entered the elementary school, they were harassed.
“Just as we were entering, several men with stones approached, and my security personnel who got out of the vehicle were immediately swarmed and hit by them,” she added.
Realizing that it was not safe for them, their camp retreated, but the gates were already closed.
“They closed the gates, and that’s where they swarmed us [armed] with stones until [vice mayoral candidate] Gigi [Vargas] was being dragged out of the vehicle. We would have left peacefully if they had just asked us to leave properly, but they became violent,” she said.
Desperate, they quickly went live on Facebook to ask for help and publicly report what was happening. Moraleda said that it was their last resort to protect themselves against the grave security threats they faced.
“It’s clear that their intention is to harm us,” Moraleda said. “Their reaction was shocking, and at that point, we thought we were going to die.”
The police report filed in Iriga also named the incumbent barangay captain and several other barangay officials as being involved in the incident.
“Barangay Captain Awa, along with his barangay officials, approached the vehicle and forcibly opened the door where the aspirant vice mayor, Gigi Vargas, was seated. The driver of the vehicle, Atty. Rico Borromeo, was the target of an attempted hit with a stone by PB Awa, while the other passenger, John Michael Laniog, was the target of an attempted dragging from the vehicle,” the police report read.
Widespread vote buying
Michael Andrew Embestro, the lay coordinator for the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) of St. Anthony of Padua Parish and Shrine in Iriga City, said the incident in Sta. Elena was not the only case reported to them.
“We are still verifying over five reports related to election violence and vote buying in Iriga City. Over the years, we have recorded similar cases, but now that we have a law against vote buying and vote selling, we have a stronger commitment to reporting and monitoring such cases,” he said.
Comelec Bicol reported there were six reported cases in Camarines Sur and 15 show-cause orders issued on vote buying and selling. In total, Comelec said that there were 45 cases reported and 44 show-cause orders issued across all six provinces in the region, as of Saturday, May 10.
The PPCRV reminded the public not to sell their votes and to remain vigilant against candidates who are buying votes.
“Like what is happening here in our city, selling votes will have a significant impact. The integrity of our votes is lost, so I hope we don’t agree to sell our votes because, for three years, where will they recoup the money they used to buy votes? Let’s not allow vote buying and selling which defeat the purpose of elections,” Embestro said.
The PPCRV reminded the public that even those who sell votes can be held liable under the law. It emphasized that as residents, it is a collective responsibility to remain vigilant and report such cases.
Embestro said, “If they truly deserve to be elected, why do they still need to buy votes? There’s no need to buy votes, bribe, and intimidate just to get elected. That’s why we also need to watch over our fellow Filipinos.”
Election violence
Even after reporting similar incidents like what happened on Friday, May 9, Moraleda said they do not see the police and other authorities acting with a sense of urgency. She also said that these cases often go unresolved, citing a similar case in 2022.
“When we reported our case, the PNP chief was allegedly in a Zoom meeting, and we waited for a long time before the police officers took the necessary actions. We did not feel that they had a sense of urgency,” Moraleda said.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Camarines Sur (IBP-Camarines Sur) chapter has also released a statement denouncing the election violence in the province, asserting that it has no place in a civilized society.
“In light of the recent video circulating on social media showing acts of harassment directed against members of the IBP and their companions in Sta. Elena, Iriga City, the IBP Camarines Sur strongly condemns all acts of political violence. Election-related violence is an affront to democracy and the rule of law. The chapter remains firm in its position that election-related violence is unacceptable and should never be tolerated,” the group said.
The IBP-Camarines Sur said election-related violence is a direct attack on democratic institutions. It said that such cases undermine fair elections, representation, and the protection of individual rights.
Similarly, Kahobenan kita An Paglaom, a youth alliance in Bicol, also reiterated calls for clean, honest, and peaceful elections while reminding the youth to vigilantly stand guard against election violence and vote buying in the region.
“The sanctity of recent elections in the region has been gravely undermined by alarming reports of widespread vote buying and election-related violence, with Iriga City being a particularly concerning area,” the youth alliance said. “We call on our fellow Bicolano youth to remain vigilant, to organize, and to actively engage in the political process, not just as voters but as critical agents of change.”
It also called on election authorities and law enforcement agencies to uphold their duty in ensuring a transparent and clean election. – Rappler.com
