LAGUNA GOVERNOR RESORTING TO VOTE BUYING?

THE Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Laguna has launched an investigation against the camp of Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez on suspicion of ‘vote buying’ ahead of the coming midterm polls for allegedly distributing the ‘Blue Card’ (health card) funded by the provincial government to voters being brought to a private warehouse he allegedly owned in Calamba City to attend a ‘poll watchers’ orientation.’

Acting on persistent ‘anonymous complaints,’ Calamba City Election Officer Atty. Marx Nicholai Delmo, with a police contingent, made a surprise visit last April 21 at a private warehouse in Bgy. Bubuyan allegedly owned by Hernandez where they chanced on hundreds of voters allegedly undergoing ‘poll watchers’ orientation.’

Delmo said they were “surprised” to discover that those attending the ‘orientation’ were not from Calamba but from the nearby town of Cabuyao.

In a lengthy interview posted by the social media news channel ‘Southpost PH’ that covered the visit, Delmo said there is “nothing wrong” for the orientation to be conducted elsewhere but the number of participants has raised suspicion and alarm.

He noted that Cabuyao only has 258 ‘clustered precincts’ while each candidate is only allowed a maximum of two poll watchers. Any number beyond this, Delmo pointed out, raises the “presumption of vote buying.”

By extrapolation, the camp of Hernandez can only “train” a maximum of 1,548 watchers for Cabuyao out of its voting population of 209,397 (as of 2019, COMELEC), as three from his family are candidates in the May 12 elections. Hernandez and daughter Charisse Anne are running for Congress representing the second district and Calamba, respectively, while his wife, Ruth, is running for governor. Hernandez is on his last term as governor.

However, persistent reports reaching the COMELEC claimed that “thousands of voters” not only from Cabuyao but elsewhere in the province are being brought to Bgy. Bubuyan on board a fleet of buses for the purported ‘orientation.’

The video of Delmo’s visit provided by local social media news channel, ‘Southpost PH,’ showed rows of airconditioned buses used to transport the voters to the warehouse that tend to prove the allegation.

‘Abuse of government resources?’

Reports also said that those brought to Bgy. Bubuyan were each given a ‘Blue Card,’ the health card funded by the provincial government. Aside from this, each voter was also given campaign t-shirts of Hernandez, free meal and at least P2,000.

The health card also serves as a “pass” for each voter to be present at the orientation and as a ‘checklist’ on the number of Hernandez’s supporters. It has a ‘QR Code’ that entitles the voter to get a sum of money, the reports further said.

A few days after Delmo’s visit, irate residents of Cabuyao effected a ‘citizens’ arrest’ against a certain “Elsa” who was caught with over 200 pieces of the Blue Card in her possession.

The COMELEC and the residents were surprised when, hours later, a lady lawyer, a certain ‘Atty. J. Padarayon’ from the camp of Hernandez surfaced to assist “Elsa.”

The camp of Hernandez has insisted since then that the confiscated health cards is not use for vote buying but for the suspect’s “safekeeping.”

However, the COMELEC stood pat on its decision to take custody of the health cards as added evidence against Hernandez once a formal complaint for election offense (vote buying) has commenced.

Aside from vote buying, other charges including violation of RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and ‘waste of government resources’ are being eyed against the camp of the governor (additional details from RA Maico/Southpost PH).