MANILA — More than 100 community leaders have observed that some candidates are using government resources during the campaign period, an election watchdog said Wednesday.

Of the 161 community leaders interviewed by observers from Legal Network for Truthful Elections, 45 of them or 28 percent reported abuse of state resources.

"Some of these incidents mostly we're all familiar. For example, the use of government vehicles during the campaign period," Lente executive director Rona Caritos told ANC's "Rundown".

"The use of government staff to campaign for candidates or they're used to make the flyers or the letters to be distributed by the candidates."

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Lente and the Right to Know, Right Now Coalition is conducting a study on abuse of state resources, which will run until June.

The poll watchdog has deployed 40 long-term observers in vote-rich and income-generating areas in the country.

To ensure the conduct of a clean and honest polls, Lente is also monitoring the voting of the vulnerable sectors such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and persons deprived of liberty.

According to Caritos, some of the respondents, which include voters and local government employees, saw ASR "as part of Philippine politics".

"They see it as part of Philippine elections. It's not a violation of our laws," she said.

Caritos said her group plans to provide recommendations to Congress and the Commission on Elections "to make our legal framework more effective and more responsive" against these illegal practices.

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In the past elections, complaints of poll violations were not pursued, she said.

"One is lack of interest and the time they will put into it whenever the cases would be continued," Caritos said. "Second, they fear for their lives. That's why it's very important on the part of government agencies especially the Comelec that they take a lead in fighting this election offenses."

For the 2022 polls, Caritos said they have 2 major concerns, which include vote-buying.

"Vote buying has continually increased in terms of incidence and the value of the vote," she said.

Over 800 positions are also unopposed this elections, Caritos said.

"So, there is a growing lack of electoral competitiveness in Philippine election or wala na lang ibang tumatakbo aside from the usual names and surnames that we always see each election cycle," she added.

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