Ni NOEL ABUEL
Inihain sa Kamara ang panukalang batas na naglalayong patawan ng mas mabigat na parusa ang mapapatunayang sangkot sa syndicated vote buying at “cyber-vote buying” sa panahon ng eleksyon.
Ayon kay Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas mahalagang maamiyendahan ang Batas Pambansa Blg. 881 o ang Omnibus Election Code na nagpaparusa sa vote buying at conspiracy to bribe voters ng hanggang 10-taong pagkakakulong.
“These provisions are over 30 years old. Sadly, those who seek to undermine the people’s right to vote have devised newer, more nefarious schemes that employ syndicated operations and modern technology,” sa kanyang kalatas.
“If we were to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and protect the people’s right to suffrage, then the law must evolve,” dagdag pa nito.
Sa kasalukuyan, ang parusang ipinapataw sa mga mapapatunayan sa vote buying ay hanggang anim na taon lamang.
“Indeed, 37 years have passed and the law on vote-buying remains static; unchanged, despite the dynamism of the electoral process that has since evolved from manual counting to electronic and automated elections,” sa kanyang explanatory note.
Sa ilalim ng Integrity of Suffrage Act of 2022 ni Vargas, layon nito na maamiyendahan ang Section 261 ng Omnibus Election Code, at isinama nito ang syndicated vote buying at cyber-vote buying na may parusang 5-taon hanggang 10-taong pagkakakulong.
Sinabi pa ni Vargas na ang vote buying scheme ay gumagamit na ngayong ng identification cards na may QR codes, stubs, at tickets para sa pandemic-related aid, scholarships, at fuel cards.
“Cash, however, remains to be the predominant mode of vote-buying, with P500 bills given inside brown envelops to voters in the candidate’s operation center which are guarded by armed security,” sabi ni Vargas.
“Vote-buying is, therefore, conducted as a syndicate, making the crime even more aggravated,” aniya pa.
Idinagdag pa ni Vargas na ang vote-buying ay nagiging makabago na gamit ang teknolohiya tulad ng money remittance applications at online banking.
“Hence, there is a need for the law to catch up and cover these crimes and amendments are critical in view of the limitations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,” dagdag pa ng kongresista.
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