THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) received nearly 700 reports of vote buying and abuse of state resources during the Eleksyon 2025.
Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda reported a total of 689 vote-buying cases received by the Kontra Bigay panel. Maceda noted that this number is significantly lower than the figures recorded during the 2022 elections.
Despite the conclusion of voting, Maceda emphasized that investigations will continue, and legal action will be pursued against those found to have engaged in illicit activities.
Comelec Chair George Garcia attributed the lower number of reported incidents to the proactive measures taken, including the authorization for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to make warrantless arrests of individuals caught in the act of vote buying.
In Iloilo City, a 56-year-old unemployed man, identified only as “Romeo,” became the first and, so far, only person arrested for alleged vote buying.
He was apprehended at a Comelec-PNP-Army checkpoint on May 11th. Separately, the PNP documented 28 vote-buying cases nationwide, involving 68 individuals. Nineteen were arrested, 22 remain at large, and 27 were released. Ilocos reported the highest number of incidents (six), followed by Central Luzon and Bicol (four each).
