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NewsTranscript
00:00We will also follow up on vote buying, vote selling, and updates on other preparations for the election of 2025.
00:06We will be joined by Comelec Chairman George Garcia. Good morning, Chairman Garcia.
00:12Good morning, Ma'am Susan. Good morning to our fellow countrymen.
00:16Chairman, according to Election Watchdog, someone bought a vote worth P35,000.
00:21Did you receive such a report or is there a higher value worth P35,000, Chairman?
00:28Ma'am Susan, although what the Election Watchdog is mentioning is what happened in 2022,
00:32and the link code at that time was just a commissioner, we were not really in the lead.
00:36In Comelec, we did not hear anything about that amount, although there are smaller amounts that we heard.
00:43At that time, we created a task force to give back, and that time was in 2022.
00:49But now, in the 2025 elections, we are leading, so they will try to buy and give back that kind of amount.
00:56That's a big plan and we will see what Comelec will do here.
01:03Anyway, Chairman, Lente also pointed out that even if it's wrong, it's hard to deny vote buying or selling
01:10because P35,000 is a big amount for some of our countrymen.
01:14How can that be resolved, Chairman?
01:17Ma'am Susan, we should really have voter's education here.
01:20That's why Comelec is pushing for the opening of the curriculum.
01:23I hope it will include the subject in the curriculum of the youth, even if it's small, the voter's education.
01:29Even if we tell them not to accept, Filipinos are hungry, our countrymen are hungry.
01:34They need immediate use of money.
01:37That's why they are tempted to accept this kind of offer.
01:41Although we always say that if you accept the future of what is being sold, not just for one day,
01:46but you will be able to explain that to a hungry citizen.
01:51That's why we need voter's education and we need the help of everyone, not just the commissioner elections,
01:58but all citizens armed, interest groups, private sectors, even the churches,
02:03and even our private educational and public educational institutions, including the media.
02:09Chairman, one more problem, the government's aid or relief goods,
02:14the recent typhoons, they might buy votes.
02:18What is your discussion with the DSWD and other agencies regarding this, Chairman?
02:22You know Ma'am Susan, the so-called relief goods that are given to our countrymen when there's calamity,
02:33under the law, it is exempted.
02:35We don't need to ask for an exemption.
02:37The reason for the law is because of the urgency, the need, the emergency nature of what is being given.
02:45That's why our law says that it should be given to the agency of the government that distributes it,
02:53to ensure that it can be distributed properly.
02:56As an explanation and information to our countrymen,
03:01they should remember that because of the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Pinera v. Comelec,
03:06they are not yet candidates for the candidates who filed from October 1 to 8 and November 4 to 9 in Bangsamoro.
03:13They are only candidates for February 12 in the national position and March 28 in the local position.
03:20That's why whatever they are distributing at the moment, whatever they are giving,
03:24they are not yet violating because there's no premature campaigning Ma'am Susan.
03:29What we're talking about is that I hope there will be a restriction when the so-called campaign period comes.
03:37Chairman, the MMDA is helping you to bring down the illegal campaign posters.
03:43Where are the places where you can see that?
03:46Metro Manila, Ma'am Susan. You can see the flags there.
03:52At this time, because there's no premature campaigning and there's no power of the Comelec,
03:56we should call the LGU because local government units have their own ordinances that can be implemented to remove illegal materials
04:08that are attached to our roads.
04:12At the moment, we will call the Comelec. But once the so-called election period comes, we will start to bring down the posters.
04:21As for the MMDA, at the moment, even though there's no election period yet, they are already violating,
04:26especially the authority of the MMDA.
04:30Chairman, isn't the private social media accounts of the candidates included in your monitoring?
04:37What if they are spreading fake news or lying to other people?
04:42Ma'am Susan, your service is the first to push for a change in our era where our first historic guidelines in social media are AI, defakes and others.
04:51We said that private individuals should not be included because it can intrude, Ma'am Susan,
04:58or violate the constitutional right of private individuals in what we call freedom of expression or freedom of speech.
05:06We should remember, if you like a post of a politician and you share it, Ma'am Susan, it's unfair that we should blame the private individual.
05:15Now, if the private individual is spreading fake news, misinformation or disinformation,
05:22it can be pursued because in the omnibus election code in section 261 letter V,
05:28it states that if a person is spreading misinformation, threats or questioning the integrity of our election, we can sue him.
05:39It means that we will not register you as a private individual, we will not regulate you,
05:45but on the other hand, you can sue anyone, especially if you are spreading disinformation and misinformation.
05:53Thank you very much, Comm. Chairman George Garcia and good morning to all of you.
05:58Good morning and thank you very much.