Pampanga mayor, 2 others face vote-buying complaint 

Inquirer files

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has found probable cause to charge reelectionist Mayor Vilma Caluag for vote-buying during the Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay elections in 2023.

Lawyer Elmo Duque, Comelec assistant director in Central Luzon, filed the information for a criminal case involving a violation of Section 261(a)—the provision against vote-buying in the Omnibus Election Code—in the Regional Trial Court’s Third Judicial Region in this Pampanga capital on Tuesday.

READ: OCTA: Most Pinoys think vote-buying still rife; Comelec seeks help

Aside from Caluag, who is seeking a second term, also included in the complaint were her husband, Melchor, who ran for barangay captain, and Julmar Mercado, a candidate for barangay councilor at that time.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mayor Caluag said in Filipino: “I’d like to clarify that this case has nothing to do with my reelection bid as mayor of our city.”

Complainant Alvin Garcia alleged that on Oct. 17, 2023, Mercado “willfully and unlawfully” campaigned and engaged in vote-buying at Caluag’s office.

Garcia alleged that Mercado distributed P1,500 in cash, disguised as payouts for a sanitation program, to residents of Barangay Dolores in an attempt to induce them to vote for him and Melchor Caluag.

The information filed in RTC San Fernando was signed by lawyer Sittie Tawagon of the Comelec Law Department in Manila. Bail was recommended at P36,000. —Tonette Orejas