Massive vote-buying prevalent in Abra: PNP

BANGUED, Abra -- -- Voters in Abra were reportedly being bought by a political family for P3,000 each.

Cordillera police director Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong bared this at the regional police office in Camp Dangwa, Benguet saying he submitted evidence of the rampant vote-buying in the province to the Commission on Elections.

He said local churches in the province who are monitoring the pre-election scenario in the northern province have been reporting to him about the said age-old, illegal and dirty practice.

The Comelec is expected to subpoena those being accused for the alleged vote buying to explain.

It started last week, said an Abrenio, who comes from a huge political family in the province.

What is disturbing, said another Abrenio, who requested anonymity, is it is very early into the elections.

A congressional candidate and his father-politician are reportedly buying voters for P3,000 while their opponent political family have been shelling out P500 to P1,000.00 only.

It is an age-old practice, said “Ricardo”, an Abrenio who comes from a huge political clan in the province.

Money, not platform, is the name of the game from the municipal positions up to the congressional posts, he said.

As of 2010, Abra has 147,615 voters.

For a three-cornered fight like in the congressional race in the province, a vote of 60,000 is a win.  But P3,000 per voter coughs up to a whopping P18 million.

An Abra congressman receives some P22 million “pork” (Priority Development Assistance Fund) every year or P66 million for the whole three-year term.

Incumbent Rep. Jocelyn Valera-Bernos of the Liberal Party is slugging it out with lawyer Hans Luna, a scion of a huge political family whose brother Ryan Luna is gunning for a re-election with the congresswoman’s father-Dominic in the Bangued mayoralty race.

A third bet, former Mayor Rolando Somera, is said to be a “dark horse” in the race.

While in the gubernatorial race, another Luna- former Abra Rep. Cecille– mother of Mayor Ryann and congressional bet Hans- is up against incumbent Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin.

The real battle is in Bangued, with 25,250 registered voters for a population of 43,936. 

In the past, a huge political family reportedly used P15 million for Bangued to ensure victory.

The “distribution” is not only for identified supporters but everyone, said a “political operator” in the province.

The expenses are easily recoverable, (by the winning politician), he further said.

For several decades already, political families in the provinces have been trading barbs on alleged plunder of government coffers from the Internal Revenue Allotment to "standard operating procedures" on government infrastructure projects.

None of these allegations so far has yet prospered toward actual litigation, although some complaints have been lodged against erring officials, who in turn either “killed” the issue or “silenced” the complainants.

Such culture is also attributed to “warlordism” in the province, which is a problem until now.

This, as some members of a well-known political family, victims of political violence in the province more than six years ago, decried earlier reports of alleged massive vote-buying activities in at least ten towns, saying their rivals were resorting to “dirty tricks” to mislead and sway the electorate to vote for them despite their alleged questionable track record in the political arena.

Gov Eustaquio Bersamin said Abrenians know who are the political figures involved in the reported massive vote-buying, thus, he welcomes the complaint filed before the regional office of the electoral body.

 must not compromise the gains of peace in the province which we had achieved since there was a drastic change in the political complexion of the province over the past six years,” Bersamin stressed, citing that the murder of his brother, former Rep. Luis ChitoBersamin in front of the Mount Carmelle Church in Quezon City paved the way for Abrenians to disown politicians who resort to harassment and vote-buying just to ensure their coming back to power.

 to him, his political opponents have been always good at creating scenarios that they can accuse their vials with and that they continue to lie and malign him and his family because that is all what they can do.

Board member Charry Bersamin, niece of Gov. Bersamin, vehemently denied the involvement of their family in illegal election activities, saying that vote-buying is being done by politicians who want to discredit the good name of their family and take back power in the province.

           

“Our family has proven to the people of Abra that we have what it takes to serve them proudly and we have worked hard to uplift our people by giving them scholarship programs, infrastructure projects, livelihood opportunities among others to improve their living condition,” MsBersaminsaid, adding  “we would not sully our name by vote-buying.”

Ms Bersamin emphasized such allegations of vote-buying are on part of the black propaganda used by their reported detractors and opponents to smear mud on their name as they do not buy votes considering that the people of Abra vote for them into office because of their dedication to public service.

Ms. Bersamin is the daughter of former Abra Rep. Bersamin who was gunned down by still unidentified suspects in front of the Mount Carmelle Church in Quezon City on December 16, 2006.

     

In a report filed with the regional office of the Commission on Elections, Magalong, disclosed the vote-buying activities in the guise of voters education in Abrawas “very alarming” because several politicians were doing it in public without hesitation.

According to him, he was able to personally talk to a person who reportedly sold his vote to a certain politician.

 “We learned that voters are reportedly selling their votes to politicians for as low as P1,500 and as high as P3,000,” Magalongsaid, adding that a total of ten out of the province’s 27 towns are allegedly practicing the vote-buying activities.

He added law enforcers were able to record vote-buying activities within the residence of a local politician but refused to divulge his identity.

“We will continue to enforce the laws without fear and favor,” Magalong stressed, adding that they will leave the matter to the Comelec to conduct further investigation and so as not to preempt the results of the probe being currently undertaken.

Jose Nick Mendros, Comelecregional director, said they will try to determine the presence of probable cause of the complaint filed by Magalong and that they will try to strengthen the pieces of evidence before the filing of the appropriate charges against the politicians engaged in massive vote-buying activities.