Anti-vote-buying teams formed — Cebu City police

| CCPO photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has two “anti-vote-buying teams” that will monitor possible vote buying incidents in the city.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the CCPO, said this following the directive from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to create “anti-vote-buying teams,” who would specifically be tasked to receive complaints and investigate allegations of vote buying.

“Aside from that, bisan wala pa ang atoang order gikan sa DILG, ato naman na gipatuman, gidirect sa atoang police stations to monitor,” Parilla said.

(Aside from that, even if there is no order yet from the DILG, we are already implementing this, we are directing our police stations to monitor this (vote buying).)

Parilla said that each team would be composed of six personnel.

The two teams will be assigned both in the north and south district of Cebu City.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año of the DILG earlier said that these anti-vote-buying teams would receive and process complaints of vote-buying or vote-selling in their respective areas.

These will also investigate, gather and preserve pieces of evidence, take statements of witnesses, and protect witnesses or complainants through coordination with the proper government agencies.

Those, who will file a complaint or report an incident of vote-buying or selling but will want to stay anonymous, will also follow the same process.

As there are many innovations done in vote buying, Parilla said that they would continue their monitoring against this.

He also said that they had responded to several reports on alleged vote buying in Cebu City but they failed to catch individuals in the act of doing these illegal activities.

“Daghan kay tag gialarmahan but pagabot didto, usahay wala nay tawo. Bisag kinsay mo report, ato ning giaddress,” he added.

(We have already responded to several alarms on this but when we reach the area sometimes there were no persons there. Anyone who would report, we will address this.)

Parilla said that they had recorded at least one political party whom they responded to alleged vote buying activities.

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