AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) would be going out in the field to thwart illegal campaign activities of national and local candidates and their supporters, particularly vote-buying in the May elections.
The deployment order came a day after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that a composite team from the Department of Justice (DOJ) would be formed to join the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Inter-Agency Task Force “Kontra Bigay,” which will go after vote buyers.
The task force, according to the Comelec, will be composed of the DOJ, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Information Agency, NBI, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Guevarra said he had already disseminated his instructions to their attached agencies and offices to prioritize the government’s campaign against vote buying.
“I have directed the NBI that their field and regional offices should get their personnel out and be active and not just wait for tips. They should go to rallies and sorties,” Guevarra told the Laging Handa public briefing.
He added that there is no need to get a warrant of arrest from the court if they actually see or caught vote-buying being done in their presence.
“They should go out and mingle in the rallies, sorties, and campaigns so they could capture those who are committing these election offenses like vote-buying. Right in that gathering they could effect warrantless arrests,” Guevarra said.
Guevarra has also instructed the DOJ Action Centers (DOJAC) head and regional offices to receive complaints for appropriate action.
On the other hand, the Public Attorney’s Office through its chief Persida Rueda-Acosta has also been asked to direct its field offices to assist possible complainants in vote-buying cases.
The DOJ chief explained that there are two main elements of vote-buying, namely, the act of offering, promising or giving money or anything of value, and second is the intention to induce the voter to vote for or against a particular candidate.
The DOJ secretary also assured that the National Prosecution Service would prioritize the resolution of vote-buying cases that would be brought before it and its offices.
He said the combination of the two elements would make the offense of vote buying.