Quezon City mayoralty aspirant Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo remains a legitimate candidate for the 2019 polls despite his pending vote-buying case, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said.
Crisologo was arrested on Sunday evening for obstruction of justice case when he reportedly tried to stop the arrest of his staff, who were allegedly involved in vote buying.
“This will not affect his candidacy in the short term,” Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez told reporters in an interview.
Crisologo is currently also facing vote-buying charges aside from his pending disqualification case with the Comelec regarding the supposed lack of absolute pardon from his imprisonment for arson and homicide.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates could only be disqualified from holding public office once their conviction for a crime becomes final.
The government has recently intensified its anti-vote buying campaign after it created a new task force to wage war against the illegal practice.
As of 2 a.m. on May 13, the Comelec said the Philippine National Police was able to arrest 174 people for allegedly being involved in vote-buying activities.
The poll body said it is anticipating this will increase during election day.