Vote-buying cases for the 2025 elections have reached nearly 100, according to the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), as incidents surge just days before Filipinos head to the polls.
LENTE Executive Director Atty. Rona Ann Caritos revealed that most of the vote-buying incidents occurred in barangay halls, voters’ homes, and during final campaign gatherings.
She noted a significant spike in reports on Friday night, three days before election day, describing the practice as more rampant in this midterm election compared to the previous national polls.
Caritos added that 70% of the complaints received involved direct vote-buying, while 30% cited abuse of state resources—such as the distribution of government aid by candidates, often viewed as an unfair advantage of incumbents.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed that its Kontra Bigay Committee had received over 400 complaints related to vote-buying, vote-selling, and the misuse of government assets in campaigns.
LENTE called on the public to remain vigilant and proactive in ensuring a clean and honest electoral process this May 2025.