The camp Manila mayoralty candidate Alex Lopez on Monday questioned the legality of the release of food boxes as well as the P500 aid that senior citizens of the City of Manila are getting as a form of amelioration amid the spending ban imposed by the Commission on Elections.
Lopez, along with another petitioner, Bimbo Quintos, who is running for councilor in the fourth District of Manila, said the release of the food packs and the amelioration of senior citizens might influence the decision of voters in the May 9 polls.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez earlier said that vote-buying is an election offense regardless of financial situation or noble intentions.
“We condemn the politicization of the release of these food packs and senior allowance. It should not be released days before the election so as not to influence the decision of the voters,” Lopez said.
He said the food packs and the amelioration could have been done earlier.
“It should have been distributed in a timely manner,” Lopez said.