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 that, for now, the circulating information is still considered “fake news.”
However, the poll body is coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Hong Kong to check if any Filipinos are willing to testify about alleged offers of HK$200 per attendee during the event.
Garcia acknowledged that if the crime occurred outside the country, Comelec might lack jurisdiction but emphasized the need to investigate due to the nature of the allegations.
Meanwhile, Comelec has received the source code for overseas voting in the May midterm elections.
It was turned over by international firm Pro V&V Inc., which conducted the trust build for overseas voting.
It was turned over by international firm Pro V&V Inc., which conducted the trust build for overseas voting.
For local absentee voting (LAV), the Comelec extended the application deadline to March 17 and verification of registrants to April 11, following numerous requests. The transmission of LAV ballots and election materials has been moved to April 27.
Local absentee voting is available to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and media personnel who are on duty on election day.
Additionally, 90 percent of ballots for the midterm elections have been printed, with eight million ballots still pending completion.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #COMELEC #PNP #Election2025