Interagency team vs vote buying to be launched

MANILA, Philippines — An “interagency team” composed of several government agencies and created to tackle vote buying is set to be launched, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia said on Friday.

Garcia said the interagency team called “Kontra Bigay” will be launched instead of the anti-vote-buying task force that the poll body initially planned.

READ: Comelec to form task force against vote buying

“Re: task force vote buying. We will instead make it an  interagency team that will involve several agencies,” Garcia told reporters.

The interagency team will be composed of Comelec, Department of Justice, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine Information Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines, according to Garcia.

“Hopefully to be activated by the Comelec en banc and constituted by next week,” Garcia said.

The creation of the interagency team came in light of reports that politicians give away or distribute cash during campaign activities.

“Because of this broad coordinative efforts, immediate actions motu proprio or based on formal  complaints  involving vote buying  are expected,” Garcia said. “As we have said before, our commitment in eliminating this irregularity is unparalleled.”

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