Lente warns: Votes being bought for P1K up to P15K in hotspots

MANILA, Philippines — As far as election watchdog group Lente is concerned, vote buying has surpassed election violence in terms of corrupting the results of the electoral exercise.

According to lawyer Rona Caritos, executive director of Lente or the Legal Network for Truthful Elections, the cheapest votes now cost at least P1,000. The price could go as high as P15,000 per vote in areas considered “hotspots.”

“Wala nang P500 ngayon,” she said referring to the previous price placed on each vote.

Lente noticed this trend after the automation of polls in the Philippines.

Caritos said they went around the country and noticed that since the automation lessened the chances of electoral violence, groups who wanted to rig the poll results have been targeting vulnerable sectors such as the poor.

She said vote buying in the provinces has remained rampant and could directly affect the results of an election. Caritos called this alarming because despite advances in technology, elections have remained a battle of the moneyed.

“Lente sees that as a worsening [election related problem] and it affects the results of the elections because it means that whoever has the most money wins. But that’s not the will the of the people,” she said.  SFM