Vote buying rampant in Quezon but nobody filing charges – PNP

LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines — Rampant reports on massive vote buying in different towns in Quezon have been received by the police provincial office in Camp Nakar here, said the spokesman of the Quezon Philippine National Police.

But despite the floods of complaints against vote buying, Chief Inspector Edcille Canals, spokesman of the Quezon police, lamented that nobody was coming forward to make formal charges against suspected vote buyers.

“Once we receive a formal complaint, we will immediately take action,” he said.

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez whose son David is the re-electionist provincial governor, identified the province’s second district, including Lucena City, as the center of alleged massive vote buying that ranged from P1,000 to P2,000 for every voter.

“The reports of vote buying that we’ve been receiving from the central parts of the province is really frustrating,” Suarez said.

He urged authorities to conduct decisive operations against vote buyers before the illegal election activity could completely sabotage the credibility of the political exercise.

Canals also said they also received numerous reports of malfunctioning PCOS election machines in different towns.