PNP records 28 vote-buying incidents on Election Day

VOTE-BUYING composite image from Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 28 cases of vote-buying and vote-selling have so far been recorded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) across the country on Election Day.

According to PNP Public Information chief Colonel Randulf Tuaño, 69 suspects were involved in the recorded incidents with 19 already arrested, 22 still at large, and 17 were released.

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Meanwhile, five cases are being finalized to be filed against arrested suspects, while eight are already ready to be formally submitted.

Eight cases, however, have already been dismissed, with one suspect posting bail, and six still under investigation.

Tuaño in a press conference, said the majority of the vote buying incidents were recorded in Ilocos Region at 6 total cases.

12 other incidents

Meanwhile, 12 other incidents, including shooting and armed confrontations, have so far been recorded during Election Day.

Tuaño in the same press conference said three of the 12 incidents were shooting incidents each recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Negros Island and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Meanwhile, three incidents of armed confrontation were also recorded in three regions, each in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region and BARMM.

The rest were cases of robbery, fire, suspected flying voters and delays in automated counting machines in various regions.

Fifteen cases of non-compliance of the nationwide liquor ban were also recorded, wherein 69 total suspects were involved.

Generally peaceful

Despite these recorded cases, Tuaño stated that the PNP’s current assessment of the election day was “generally peaceful.”

“For this afternoon’s initial assessment, for the overall deployment of the PNP’s readiness. Generally we can say it is peaceful,” said Tuaño.

“For today, there were 12 incidents that we would like to mention and we can say isolated incidents, for the elections that took place today,” he added. /cb