The Commission on Elections will step up its campaign against vote buying through mobile payment apps and other money remittance services, during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on October 30, Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Tuesday, August 8.
This is a warning to those who intend to buy votes via GCash and other mobile payment apps or money remittance services that the COMELEC will stop them, he said.
The Comelec will soon be coming out with a resolution that will include innovative ways to combat vote buying, Ananoria said at a press conference at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City.
He said in the past cases of vote buying failed to prosper because of lack of witnesses.
However, this will be remedied with certain innovations, he said.
He also warned that vote selling is also an election offense.
Negros Occidental as of June 19 had 2,014,725 registered voters aged 18 years old and above for the upcoming elections on October 30, Ananoria said.
The SK voters aged 15 to 30 years old are 660,709, he added
The following is the number of voters in Negros Occidental as of June 19:
Meanwhile, Ananoria said a list of election hotspots for the October polls has not been finalized yet.
On August 22 a regional command conference will be held to craft the policies for determining hotspots, Ananoria said
They will be able to determine hotspots when the final lists of candidates are out as they will show which areas will have hotly contested campaigns, he said.
Himamaylan, where recent insurgency activities have occurred, is among the areas being considered, Ananoria said.
Candidates can only be cited for illegal campaigning after they have filed their certificates of candidacy, he also reiterated.
The filings of COCs will be on August 28 to September 2.
The campaign period will be from October 19 to October 28, and Election Day will be on October 30, Ananoria said.*