IN its continuing bid to hold accountable those behind vote buying activities, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to revive its partnership with the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a public forum, Elections chairman George Garcia said the poll body has started coordinating with the DOJ leadership regarding the revival of the Comelec-DOJ special task force formed back in 2016.
“There will be coordinated efforts between and among different agencies of government,” he added, explaining that this will allow better prosecution of those behind vote buying during every election.
“We would like that it would be the Comelec conducting the preliminary investigation and we would refer the prosecution to the DOJ since that is their expertise,” said Garcia.
The Comelec and the DOJ had forged a partnership in 2016 for the investigation and prosecution of cases concerning violations of election laws.
Aside from the DOJ, the poll chief said they are also looking to get assistance from poll watchdogs, such as the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) in gathering evidence of vote buying.
“We have to gather evidence and we have to ensure that the evidence gathered are credible, admissible, and can withstand scrutiny in court,” said Garcia.
Prior to the May 2022 polls, the Comelec already formed “Task Force Kontra Bigay” to hasten the processing of complaints regarding alleged vote buying.
Last June, the poll body disclosed that there were 17 docketed verified complaint-affidavits for vote buying/selling at its law department.
Aside from the 17 cases filed, more than 100 “concerns” have been brought before the task force.
