The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is verifying reports of vote-buying in Hong Kong following a campaign rally attended by former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia stated on a One News PH report on Monday, March 10, that the claims circulating on social media remain unverified and should be treated as “fake news” for now. The poll body is coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Hong Kong to determine if any Filipinos are willing to testify about being offered money during the event. Reports suggest that rally attendees allegedly received HK$200 each.
Garcia clarified that if vote-buying took place outside the Philippines, Comelec may not have jurisdiction. However, they are gathering information due to the seriousness of the allegation.
Meanwhile, Comelec has received the source code for overseas voting in the upcoming midterm elections. The source code, provided by international firm Pro V&V Inc., will be deposited with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) within the month. The firm is expected to issue certification to the Technical Evaluation Committee by mid-April.
For local absentee voting, Comelec extended the application deadline to March 17, with verification of registrants continuing until April 11. Transmittal of the list of qualified voters and election materials is now set for April 27. Eligible voters include members of the military, police, and media personnel who will be on duty on election day.
Garcia also reported that 90 percent of the required ballots for the elections have been printed, with the remaining eight million expected to be completed by mid-March. Ballot verification is scheduled for April 14.
