Poll bets ‘buying’ voters for P50 to P10,000 each

Bohol map. INQUIRER FILES

The “waiting game” in several areas of Bohol province has started at least three days before the May 12 elections.

A number of voters were watching for signs of “uwan-uwan” or “ulan-ulan,” which means rainfall but is used as a term for money that is expected to pour in from the camps of several candidates.

Some people assign codes to refer to this windfall: “gipusil” (gunshot), “wilwig” (giving) and “inangayan” (sharing). The amount, however, varies since some candidates may hand out a measly P50 per voter while those with deeper pockets and seeking higher posts shell out as much as P7,000.

As voters prepare to troop to voting precincts on Monday, the Inquirer gathered accounts of those in the Visayas who have received money from candidates—from as low as P50 to as high as P10,000—in exchange for their votes.

New phone

Vir, a Boholano who asked that his real name not be used in this story, told the Inquirer that he was able to buy a new phone for his daughter after receiving a total of P7,000—P6,000 from the mayoral candidate and P100 each from those running for councilor.

Vir maintained that he was not selling his vote but was merely “accepting” the “kindness” shown to him by local candidates.

He said the slate of the mayoral candidate promised to give them an additional P3,000 to match the P10,000 that their rivals had earlier pledged to distribute.

The possibility of receiving cash from candidates has enticed many Boholanos working or living outside the province to return before the elections.

A resident who asked to be identified only as Eddie, for instance, went straight to the house of a candidate for mayor to collect his money after he arrived in Bohol on Wednesday from Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, where he worked as a contractual salesperson at a department store.

Eddie insisted that he was not selling his vote, stressing that he would stick to his choice of candidates regardless of the payout.

“Koprason ra ilang mga kuwarta kay atua man gihapon na. Botar ta sa konsensya (I am just collecting their money because these are actually ours. But we will vote according to our conscience),” he said.

Distribution of cash days before the May 12 elections, however, is not unique to Bohol. Similar practices are happening in several areas of other Visayan provinces.

‘Badil’

In Eastern Visayas region, for instance, money, commonly referred to as “badil,” is typically placed inside white envelopes bearing the names of candidates and distributed by campaign staff, who are often accompanied by the candidates’ barangay leaders, to the voters’ houses.

READ: 74 show cause orders issued for alleged vote-buying, abuse of resources

Unlike in past elections when badil was usually distributed late at night or in the early morning, transactions this year were happening in broad daylight, according to voters interviewed by the Inquirer.

Officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) heard about reports of vote-buying but said they needed more evidence other than the envelopes or money distributed so cases would prosper.

“Just presenting the badil is not enough. There must be complainants who are willing to execute an affidavit stating they received money from a specific candidate. [It’s better if the complaint is] supported by a video recording,” said lawyer Ma. Krishna Athena Elardo, Comelec regional legal officer.

So far, the Comelec office in Eastern Visayas has received five formal complaints involving the alleged distribution of cash, food packs and even the use of government vehicles during the campaign.

Elardo said show-cause orders had been issued so concerned candidates could explain their actions. Violators, she said, would face charges under the Omnibus Election Code and may be disqualified.

In Leyte province, candidates running for councilor were reportedly handing out amounts as low as P50 per voter. Candidates for mayor shell out between P500 and P3,000 per voter.

Pooled amount

In Samar province, a village official disclosed that P10,000 was being given to each voter—supposedly a pooled amount from candidates running for provincial, congressional and municipal positions under the same political party.

“This is a big amount of money for us. We have five [voters] in the family. At P10,000 each, that’s P50,000 in total which is enough to buy a motorcycle,” said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

READ: Northern Mindanao cops probe viral vote-buying claims called ‘ulan ulan’

Zenaida, a 58-year-old mother of five from Leyte, admitted receiving money from different candidates even if she was aware that the practice was illegal.

“I know it’s wrong but we only receive money from them (candidates) during election time. Somehow, badil helps us buy our [household] needs,” she told the Inquirer.

As of May 8, she had collected over P2,300 and was expecting more this weekend before she casts her ballot on Monday.

Caucus, sample ballots

In Iloilo province, a resident said those attending barangay caucuses and rallies were given between P150 and P200 each.

Police Col. Bayani Razalan, director of the Iloilo provincial police, urged policemen to be vigilant against election-related offenses, especially vote-buying.

Three candidates for town councilor in Dumangas town had been issued show-cause orders and were required to explain following complaints linking them to vote-buying.

In a city in Cebu province, cash ranging from P100 to P4,000 had been included in sample ballots given to voters during the campaign.

A voter, who declined to be identified in this report, revealed she received P2,000 from representatives of a political party who urged her to vote for their slate.

“Their representatives personally visited me at home to hand over the money,” she said.

Some candidates for councilors in cities and towns in Cebu also gave voters money, from P100 to P600 each.

A woman, who asked not to be identified, said campaign staffers of a mayoral candidate promised to give P3,500 per voter while his opponent offered a higher amount of P4,000.

READ: Marbil orders crackdown on vote-buying ahead of 2025 polls

Rice, grocery items

But not all candidates distributed cash.

In Bohol, some aspirants distributed claim stubs for several kilos of rice and some grocery items.

Last week, a group led by Fr. Darwin Gitgano, a Catholic priest based in Valencia town, started filing complaints against candidates whom they accused of buying votes.

Bishop Alberto Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran appealed to the public to vote according to their conscience and to not allow politicians’ money to influence them.

“Elections are not merely political events. They are moral choices. They are opportunities to shape the kind of society we want to live in—one that reflects justice, truth, and compassion,” he said in a pastoral letter on May 8.

“Your vote is not for sale. No amount of cash or short-term favor can ever outweigh the long-term consequences of choosing the wrong leaders. Conscience, formed in truth and faith, must be your guide,” the bishop said.