Ex-Kap exposes how SK chair's bet buy votes

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – A former punong barangay (village chairman) cited how candidates of the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) chairmanships through the help of their kin buy votes just to win the village poll and the SK Federation President of this city.

The chairman, who wanted to remain unidentified, said that in the years 2000s and 2010s a bet for the post spent between P200, 000 to P300, 000 to win a poll in a large barangay here.

He said that each voter then for the youth council’s poll was paid at P100 or P150.

“Medyo maliit siguro half. P200 ako sila mga P100 o P150,” he compared in Tagalog the money that circulated between voters from the SK and Barangay elections’ candidates for the top post.

With some moneyed candidates aspiring for the barangay chairmanship, the former executive cited that an SK chair's bet can buy votes now at P500 because of the subsidy from the fat pocketed bet.

The former kapitan (old title of the village chairman) said that for the second - wave of vote buying in those years, an SK chairmanship candidate doled out grocery bag composed of a kilo of rice, two packs of noodles, and a can of sardine.

“Gawin din niyang parehas kasi smaller lang ang constituents’ niya. Puwede siyang magpalaki ng bigay o sumabay”.

But another bet and his family were not as callous and audacious in the 2013 poll to buy votes inside the precincts area just like what a village chief had done when he and his supporters were  surreptitiously been giving P250 to each of the voters to gain their vote.

“Usually sa kanila parang kidnap, isasakay sa jeep mga voters doon na kakausapin . Iyong nahakot doon sa jeep doon na bibigyan ng pera”.

The former village chief said that in the 31 barangays here there was a case where most of the elected SK chairmen of the villages have been “kidnapped” (a bastardized word for convene) by the parents and politician friends of the bet for the City Federation President by generously treating them at a hotel or resort in Baguio City or Manila.

“Gagawin din, kikidnapin din iyan two or three days before election.  Mahina ang P10,000 bilihan bawat isa diyan kasi pagnanalo ka diyan (city)  councilor ka”.

The Omnibus Election Code prohibits any persons...to solicit and/or accept from any candidate from public office... any gift, food or transportation, contribution or donation in cash or in kind from the commencement of the election period up to and including the day of election except normal and customary religious stipends, tithes or collections.

A politico-businessman told Northern Watch that in the 2000s election he spent P5 million in buying the loyalty of these City or Municipal Federation presidents in a province in Luzon for his relative to win a seat for board member in the provincial capitol.

“I and my family gave P50,000 to the mayor, P50,000 to the SK town president,” he narrated their strategy to buy the loyalty and vote of the town ex-officio councilor.

When asked why the P50,000 to the mayor when it was the ex-officio solon who will vote for the Provincial Federation President.

The seasoned politico explained that even they bought the loyalty of the ex-officio councilor; the mayor can still pressure him to vote for the other candidate.

“Ang mayors ang nagbibigay ng projects sa each of the councilors. Puwede silang ma deprieved pag sinuway nila si mayor,” he insinuated about the S.O.P or cut from the contracts given to a loyal and docile solon that runs to hundreds if not millions of pesos just like what members of Congress get from the pork barrel given by Malacanang.

Among the eight congressional district’s province, his kin lost to four of the districts to the son of a mayor.
"But we still win because we have a lot of monies to give".

The winner for the election of the Federation President of a city or town by operation of law becomes a city or municipal councilor or board member with a monthly salary between P60, 000 to P100, 000 and an “Honorable” title appended before their first name and surname.