Comelec allays fears of cheating

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has allayed fears of Vice President Jejomar Binay that there might be cheating in the May 2016 polls.

“Our mantra is credible elections. We always say ‘Vote right, count right.’ It is the duty of every voter to vote right, and it’s the responsibility of the Comelec to count the votes right,” said Comelec chair Andres Bautista told a press briefing Tuesday.

Binay earlier expressed concern over the possibility of poll cheating, saying he had heard of talks about possible cheating through vote-counting machines that are allegedly prone to manipulation.

Aside from getting cheated, Binay is also worried over the likelihood of government funds being used to bolster the campaign of administration-backed candidates.

Binay said the Comelec should strictly enforce its campaign finance rules to keep in check candidates who could be overspending in their campaign.

But according to Bautista, the poll body is powerless to regulate “premature campaigning” activities of candidates until the campaign period officially starts.

Republic Act No. 9369, or the Poll Automation Law, provides that “any person who files his certificate of candidacy (COC) shall only be considered as a candidate at the start of the campaign period” and that “unlawful acts applicable to a candidate shall be in effect only upon that start of the campaign period.”