Political Authority Accuses 18 Candidates of Voting Bribery in Party-List Elections
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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) slapped 19 show cause orders on various individuals, including a hidden party-list and two non-candidates, due to accusations of vote-buying and misuse of public funds before the May 2025 elections.
In a recent memo, the Comelec announced that they issued 19 stern notices to the Committee against Bigay (CKB) on a Friday.
Among the implicated parties, we find:
- 1 congressman, 2 governors, 6 mayors, 1 vice-mayor, and 6 councillors, together with 2 non-candidates, from different cities and provinces.
The Kamalayan ng Maralita at Malayang Mamamayan (Kamalayan) party-list found itself in the hot seat due to the vote-buying allegations.
Notably, Congressman Romero Federico Quimbo from Marikina's 2nd district was called out.
Additional governors and mayors were also served with these orders, like Zarah Rose Lara from Cagayan and Danilo Fernandez from Laguna.
Furthermore, the mayoral candidates Stella Quimbo from Marikina City, Denver Chua from Cavite City, Allan de Leon from Taytay, Rizal, Erwin Pastrana from Mauban, Quezon, Honey Lacuna-Pangan from Manila City, and Rolen Paulino from Olongapo City, were similarly penalized.
One mayoral candidate, Romulo Avila from Quezon, and several council members from Baras, Rizal; Dumangas, Iloilo; and Cuartero, Capiz were also on the receiving end of these notices.
The Comelec also issued show cause orders to Winfred Rivera and Jeren Jude Bacas, who are not candidates.
Additional allegations surfaced later, implicating candidates such as Santiago City Mayor Sheena Tan-Dy, Rep. Joseph Tan, and Councilor Sherman Miguel in Isabela, as well as Jerry Jose in Nueva Vizcaya, although they were not initially part of the original 19. The identity of the mysterious party-list remains undisclosed in all available reports.
[1] Comelec Issues 'Show Cause Orders' Against 19 Politicians, Resource Persons, Rappler, April 1, 2025
[2] Print: Comelec eyes 19 officials, KAMALAYAN party-list, Manila Bulletin, April 1, 2025
[3] Comelec takes actions vs 19 individuals for vote buying, abuse of resources, Manila Standard, April 1, 2025
[4] After initial 19, more lawmakers linked to vote-buying, PDI, April 5, 2025.
- The Kamalayan party-list, based in Manila, found itself in the midst of General-News after receiving a show cause order from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) regarding vote-buying allegations.
- In addition to the 19 individuals initially penalized by the Comelec, several more politicians have since been implicated, such as Rep. Joseph Tan, Councilor Sherman Miguel in Isabela, and Jerry Jose in Nueva Vizcaya.
- Despite not being candidates, Winfred Rivera and Jeren Jude Bacas from different regions were also issued show cause orders by the Comelec due to accusations of misuse of public funds.
- The memorandum from the Comelec stated that notices were issued to the Committee against Bigay (CKB) in relation to the elections, including the mayoral candidates Stella Quimbo from Marikina City, Denver Chua from Cavite City, Allan de Leon from Taytay, Rizal, and Rolen Paulino from Olongapo City.
- In the weeks following the initial announcement, Crime-and-Justice reports revealed that Zarah Rose Lara, Governor of Cagayan, and Danilo Fernandez, Governor of Laguna, were among the implicated governors, alongside mayors like Stella Quimbo and Rizal's Erwin Pastrana.
