The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has called on registered voters in the Cordillera region to be vigilant against electoral abuses of government programs allegedly declared as support to registered voters by political candidates or groups specially to farmers and fisherfolks in the region.
In a press briefing held at the Comelec Cordillera regional office in Baguio City, Comelec Chairman George Garcia urged voters to inform the nearest Comelec “Kontra Bigay” complaint center located in the local government units in the region, province, and city in the Cordillera on election related abuses by any political candidate or groups that will take advantage of government resources being distributed to beneficiaries under various programs of the different government agencies like the Department of Agriculture (DA) for political advantage.
“We are serious about vote buying and the abuse of state resources, and we are calling on registered voters to report to our “Kontra Bigay” complaint centers any abuse that they may encounter, we are assuring them of exemption of any criminal liability provided they file an affidavit and evidences of abuse. To assure that no government finances and intervention will be taken advantage of during the campaign period, we will be declaring a total ban on financial support or intervention of any kind will be distributed nationwide ten (10) days before the national and local elections,” Garcia stressed.
Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. who chairs the Committee on “Kontra Bigay” explained that the electoral commission is keen on filing cases against candidates that will use intervention programs provided by government agencies like the DA for political gain.
Chairman Garcia and Commissioner Maceda Jr. confirmed a recent post on social media coming from a municipality in a province in the Cordillera of an incident of an alleged distribution of financial support to farmers prompting the Department of Agriculture Cordillera (DA-CAR) to investigate the said activity to assure that the resources of government are not used for political purposes by any political candidate or group.
“This particular social media post in the Cordillera region has reached our attention but we are calling on our registered voters who may have personal knowledge regarding this matter and any other electoral abuse to file an affidavit stating that he or she received financial support from a certain party list group so that the commission may be able to establish the filing of cases against would be violators,” Maceda said.
The Department of Agriculture Cordillera (DA-CAR) as schedulled, will continue to distribute agriculture intervention and services to farmers and fisherfolk beneficiaries in the region coming from the different banner programs of the DA. **JTLlanes
