AN EXECUTIVE of the National Movement for Free Elections on Sunday urged Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu to answer accusations of vote-buying in the May 14 barangay elections.
Eric Alvia, Namfrel secretary-general, said Abu has a lot of explaining to do, and that he should react to the allegations against him without using Congress.
He also called on the Department of the Interior and Local Government to file appropriate charges against politicians involved in other vote-buying activities in the last barangay polls.
Earlier, Undersecretary Martin Diño said 100 members of the House of Representatives congressmen and 1,000 local government officials interfered in the barangay elections.
Lawyer Erlinda Candy Orense, acting election supervisor in Batangas, summoned Abu to a two-day marathon hearing to investigate complaints of vote-buying and use of public funds for partisan political purposes.
On May 10, Norberto Abanilla of Lobo town’s Barangay Tayuman and Nicanor Conti of San Pascual town’s Barangay Alalum filed a five-page complaint, alleging a letter was distributed by Abu to his scholars endorsing his hand-picked candidates for the position of barangay chairman.
“Sometime in the first week of May, I was informed that supporters of Congressman Abu distributed to residents of Barangay Tayuman several letters printed on letterheads of the House of Representatives bearing his signature, and marked with the dry seal of the lower house. Said correspondences were addressed to scholars of the congressman,” the complaint read.
“In fact, I was informed that the scholars who will not vote for the congressman’s endorsed candidate will be removed from the scholarship program.”
The complainants said Abu’s letter was coercing, intimidating, compelling and influencing his scholars, and that failure to heed this could cause the cancellation of their scholarship grant.
“Under Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code, any person found guilty of any election offense under this Code shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation. In addition, the guilty party shall be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage,” he said lawyer Arnold Punzalan, counsel of the complainants.
Manila Standard tried but failed to reach Abu .
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace is leaving it up to the Commission on Elections to conduct a probe, citing they are respect the mandate of the poll body.