VOLUNTEER-lawyers of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) on Sunday reported two incidents of vote-buying in Isabela, making them the first two reports that had reached Lente’s complaint desk.
In Barangay Buculud in the capital city of Ilagan, a roving Lente volunteer reported that barangay kagawads identified as supporters of Isabela Governor Bodgie Dy were documented Friday morning to have distributed 500 peso bills at the house of the barangay captain there.
Lente said its volunteer took photographs of the barangay kagawads and these photographs would be used in building up cases of vote buying against these barangay officials, who names were withheld pending complete authentication of the incident.
In the town of Luna, another roving Lente volunteer reported that residents were herded to a warehouse owned by Mayor Manuel Tio and three members of the Sangguniang Bayan were documented to have handed envelopes containing bills amounting to at least 3,000 each to them.
The Lente volunteer had also documented the incident and appropriate charges would be filed against those municipal officials, whose names were withheld pending the completion of the authentication process.