2 nabbed in Laguna for vote buying

SAN PEDRO CITY, Philippines -Two persons were arrested for alleged vote buying in the capital town of Sta. Cruz in Laguna province on Sunday noon.

Laguna police chief Col. Eleazar Matta, in a text message, identified the suspects as Melchor Sta. Ana, 61, and Miriam Octavio, 54, both residents of Barangay (village) Oogong.

Matta said the police responded to a report from a concerned citizen about vote-buying in the same village around 11:55 a.m.

He said police caught the suspects in the act of distributing P100 together with sample ballots with the names of reelectionist Laguna governor Ramil Hernandez and 13 other candidates for local positions, all under the Nacionalista Party.

But Hernandez, through his spokesperson Chris Sanji, distanced from the allegation. “It’s not in our camp’s style to buy votes,” Sanji said when sought for comment.

He also said they would not know who could be behind the vote-buying as “(Hernandez) has many supporters.”

The police said they recovered a total of P4,500 cash and a notebook from both suspects.  (Editor: Mike Frialde)