MANILA, Philippines — Some aspirants within the 2025 elections have reported to the Fee on Elections (Comelec) an “superior victory” scheme, through which they’re made to pay a hefty sum to be declared winners, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia mentioned on Friday.
In response to Garcia, this scheme was used through the previous elections.
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“Might mga nagpadala sa akin na mga politiko na sila ay inofferan na kukuhanan ng image, ipapadala sa kanila, certain win na P100 million… Fashion yun, yung pagpapaadvance,” Garcia mentioned on the sidelines of the signing of a memorandum of settlement between Comelec and the Nationwide Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at Pasay Metropolis.
(Some politicians have despatched me stories that they have been provided a scheme the place a photograph could be taken, despatched to them, they usually’d be assured a win for P100 million… It’s a tactic, this so-called “superior victory” scheme.)
Garcia mentioned that two nationwide aspirants, 4 party-list teams, and plenty of native aspirants, notably from the Nationwide Capital Area, reported the tactic to the ballot physique.
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“Palagay ko naman, ‘yung nagreport sa atin ay hindi nila pinatulan sapagkat di nila irereport yun kung pinatulan. Kaya lang hindi sila makalantad kasi ang katanungan, bakit mo kinausap within the first place so ibig sabihin, nag-entertain ka rin ng concept,” Garcia added.
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(I feel those who reported it didn’t take the supply as a result of they wouldn’t report it if they’d. They will’t simply reveal themselves as a result of the query is, why did you discuss to them within the first place? It implies that you entertained the thought.)
He additionally mentioned that the scheme’s perpetrators launched themselves as Comelec officers or claimed to have contacts with the Info Expertise Division of Comelec and Miru Techniques, the automated elections methods supplier for the 2025 polls.
Garcia then confirmed {that a} previous Comelec worker was concerned within the scheme. Nonetheless, he mentioned that the previous worker’s credibility ought to be questioned.
“Fourteen years na palang galing sa Comelec eh so paano mo pa masasabing join mo pa yung mga tao sa Komisyon? Ni hindi nga nila alam kung paano ioperate ang machines so paano natin pagkakatiwalaan yun?” Garcia acknowledged.
(It’s been 14 years since they have been final with Comelec, so how are you going to nonetheless declare they’ve connections inside the Fee? They don’t even know easy methods to function the machines, so how can we belief them?)
Garcia additionally mentioned that the aspirants have been promised that invisible markings could possibly be embedded on ballots to reject the votes for his or her rivals.
“Alam nila na hindi kayang dayain sa makina kaya ang sinasabi nila para catchy, papel naman, kaya nilang gawan ng paraan,” he added.
(They know that the machines can’t be simply rigged, so that they’re saying one thing catchy—simply paper, they usually suppose they’ll discover a workaround.)
Garcia shared that the data they obtained from the stories will likely be handed over to the NBI to additional assess the scheme.
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EXPLAINER: Vote-buying, promoting
