STATEMENT OF SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN ON COMELEC EFFORTS TO ARREST VOTE-BUYING

The Commission on Elections' latest action is a crucial step in protecting the integrity of the electoral process. Vote-buying perpetuates corruption throughout the entire political system and should be shunned as a practice by both candidates and voters alike.

To make the campaign against vote-buying effective, monitoring of such activities is critical and must be undertaken by all concerned citizens. Further, prosecution of violators must be undertaken swiftly by the poll regulatory body. It should also invest in voter education campaigns to empower Filipinos to reject vote-buying and choose leaders based on integrity and track record.

Vote-buying enables poor and corrupt governance. I encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any vote-buying incidents to the COMELEC.