Duterte sends in the Marines, chief of Police in one town transferred tuit suit. Case filed re vote buying but Wife receives P500 on Election Day. (That’s another story....the stupidity of some is unbelievable, she used to be active in another opposition party.) Looks like the big cheese means business about stamping out vote buying. All fun n games here atm. The tsimis is Duterte will call baranguay elections dirty and reject all results, he’ll appoint his own guys so I’m told.
I think it would be more productive if they made examples out of the larger cities and political dynasties. I know that vote buying happened in Dumaguete. I wonder why they are going after the smaller places first? BTW: Do you have a news article you could share about this? I couldn't find any.
Sorry...own eyes report. Saw Marines congregating around the Opposition to the Winners house today. The asawa has her ears on the ground and I got the stuff about the Chiefs transfer from a relly that ran and lost in our baranguay. The P500 arrived day before yesterday in an envelope bearing her first name. It also contained a “vote for...” leaflet. We’d run out of toilet paper that day and the P500 was donated to a national brewery. I hear that there is to be a Manila based tv report featuring an interview tonight between the two local hombres that hate each other’s guts. Each will make accusations that the other used arms to menace each other’s followers in the mountains. I can’t find any news articles anywhere. I did find something earlier on COMELEC officials complaining that they can’t do anything until a complaint is made. A search for Siquijor + vote buying + 2018 might turn that article up. Tempers are running high here, and if truth be told seeing a dozen or so Marines drinking coffee outside a Politicians house constitutes “troops on the streets” I need a stern talking to. It’s unusual, odd, and for Siquijor nearly unheard of. But, I saw 2 Baka crammed into the back of a jeepney and driven on the national highway last week. Anything goes...will keep ya posted. Cheers, C
Just a wee update. I met a bloke who stood in the neighbouring village. He didn’t get 1 vote. His family didn’t vote for him as P1700 each is not to be sniffed at. When asked “why didn’t you vote for yourself?” he mentioned he’d been greased for a similar amount and the vote is always traceable. PMSL. Only in the Philippines. Any road, Marines still in the nearest town, case filed with COMELEC, awaiting further developments. C
Have to be honest. I read this because of the title. Haven't heard or seen the word "skullduggery" used in a long time. Nice one. And, Siguijor is probably not the only spot in the country where this goes on. And without the use of voting machines, these results will be contested for a while. I will relate an incident that I and the wife witnessed during the 2016 elections and just by chance it involved Siguijor too. We took a trip to Manila and when we arrived at NAIA 3 we saw a yellow ballot election box all sealed up rotating around on the baggage carousal and there was no one there to claim it, it just kept going round and round. We smiled at each other and left. Had to wonder why no one from COMELEC was there to immediately claim it, or why it was shipped as regular baggage anyway?
In San Francisco there was headline, at about page six one year. The story was not much longer than the headline: "Ballot boxes found floating in Bay". This came some weeks after a special election to approve a new ballpark for the professional baseball team. The new mayor, dapper Willie Brown, supported the proposal. Some leaders in election precincts where many voters did not have the word "baseball" (nor beisbal) in their native language, opposed it.
Comelec validating vote-buying reports in Central Luzon, Western Visayas Comelec helpless on vote-buying in Siquijor without complaint | Concept News Central Comelec to probe alleged ‘massive’ vote-buying in Siquijor All I could find. No mention of Marines as yet.
They are/were in Larena guarding a house. Haven’t been by for a day or two. Latest I hear is that the big mans wingman Bong somebody or other will visit with DILG on the 26th to conduct an investigation
Sorry bud, but I did see Marines outside a well known Politicians house, perhaps “send in” was a bit too strong. Still waiting on outcomes. I hear Bong was on the island last week. Who knows?