MANILA — Lawyers and law schools have committed to helping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) fight vote-buying and selling in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), which are scheduled for October 30.

Comelec partnered with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) in a memorandum of agreement signed Saturday.

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Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the main role of IBP and PALS is to help in information dissemination regarding vote-buying and selling.
The groups will stress that it is an election offense that has consequences.

Garcia said the poll body needs all the help it can get, which is why he reached out to the two organizations.

Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda, Jr. meanwhile said lawyers and law schools would engage their respective communities in discussing the issue.

Lawyers may also help in the prosecution of cases, noted Maceda, the official in charge of the newly-launched Committee on "Kontra-Bigay."

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Lawyer Antonio Pido, IBP national president; and Dean Gemy Festin, PALS president, expressed their willingness to help the cause.

So far, Garcia said they have only monitored one incident of suspected vote-buying from a group of candidates in Barangay San Bartolome, Quezon City.

The group supposedly distributed bread and other food to residents.

Giving, offering or promising "money or anything of value" are among the acts that fall under vote-buying in the Omnibus Election Code.

The law also prohibits soliciting or receiving these in exchange for votes.

Comelec has already sent the group of candidates a show-cause order.

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Candidates issued a show-cause order may still run on October 30, he clarified, as this only requires them to explain the possible violation.

The candidates can be prohibited from running if the Comelec rules before election day that they committed an offense.

They may also be disqualified even if they win the elections if the ruling gets released after the elections.

Meanwhile, the Comelec is still awaiting the list of areas that may be put under their control. The national police is still finalizing it, Garcia said.

One of the places he wanted to be classified under their control is Malabang, Lanao del Sur where a man named Mamayog Sidik Gampong was seen in a video committing indiscriminate firing last Aug. 3.

Gampong has already surrendered to authorities.

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